Model Rules of Professional Conduct

Appeals court voids firm fee imposed on departing lawyers who take clients with them

The Colorado Court of Appeals has addressed two issues of first impression that relate to law firm agreements that aim to prevent departing attorneys from taking clients with them.

May 4, 2022 10:50 AM CDT

Lawyers should be able to practice law in any state, says group urging ABA model rule change

The ABA should change its model rules to allow licensed lawyers to provide legal services in any state, according to a proposal by a group of more than 400 lawyers and law professors who provide advice on legal ethics matters.

Apr 20, 2022 12:19 PM CDT

Lawyers have an obligation to ensure employees don’t solicit clients, new ABA ethics opinion says

Attorneys not only must refrain from engaging in improper direct solicitation of potential clients, but there is also an ethical responsibility to ensure that employees or others hired by the lawyers do not engage in such misconduct.

Apr 13, 2022 12:33 PM CDT

New law allows this state’s judges to personally solicit campaign donations; ethics opinion adds wrinkle

A new Tennessee law allows judges to personally solicit and accept campaign contributions, but judicial candidates should “be mindful” of other ethics rules that could be implicated, according to a March 29 ethics opinion.

Apr 11, 2022 4:19 PM CDT

Hawaii joins states that mandate lawyers’ competence in technology

Hawaii has become the latest state to adopt the duty of technology competence for lawyers.

Mar 25, 2022 10:33 AM CDT

Stayed suspension recommended for Taft Stettinius partner who allegedly had sex with client

Updated: A partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister's Columbus, Ohio, office, should receive a stayed suspension for allegedly having sex with a client, according to a recommendation by the Ohio Supreme Court’s Board of Professional Conduct.

Mar 15, 2022 3:29 PM CDT

5 tips for working with clients who stand in their own way

Recently, I had an immigration case, where my client was tardy on every deadline and patently refused to do anything beyond the bare minimum to aid their cause. I was emotionally drained by the case but buoyed by the positive result at the end. I must admit I couldn’t fight the impulse to remind the client that they had stood in the way of their own success.

Nov 2, 2021 10:18 AM CDT

Retired prosecutor, disbarred for withholding evidence, says law practice is ‘a screwed-up obscenity’

A retired prosecutor in Maryland told the Baltimore Sun that he didn’t “give a damn” when the newspaper informed him that he had been disbarred for failing to disclose exculpatory evidence and making false statements about its content.

Oct 26, 2021 9:53 AM CDT

‘The Practice’ vs. ‘Boston Legal’: How the original stacks up to the spinoff, part 1

In April, Screen Rant published its list of the 10 best legal drama shows of all time, ranked according to IMDb. After review, I realized two of the 10 were very closely related. Boston Legal was a spinoff of The Practice, and also according to IMDb, the byproduct is better than the initial offering.

Oct 25, 2021 1:28 PM CDT

Ticket-fighting app was engaged in unauthorized law practice, top state court rules

An app that connected traffic-ticket defendants with lawyers was engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a 4-3 decision.

Oct 15, 2021 3:14 PM CDT

New ABA ethics opinion clarifies obligations for language access in lawyer-client relationships

Attorneys often must take affirmative steps to ensure that they can communicate effectively with clients with limited English proficiency or with those with noncognitive physical disabilities, such as a hearing or a speech impairment.

Oct 6, 2021 10:03 AM CDT

Ethics opinion addresses lawyers’ ‘passive investment’ in firms in jurisdictions allowing alternative business structures

A lawyer generally may invest passively in a law firm that includes nonlawyer owners in jurisdictions that permit such alternative business structures, according to a new ABA ethics opinion. The lawyer may passively invest, even though the lawyer practices law in a jurisdiction that does not permit such nonlawyer ownership.

Sep 8, 2021 10:15 AM CDT

Lawyer faces disciplinary action after engaging in relationship with client

A partner in the Columbus, Ohio, office of Taft Stettinius & Hollister is facing possible disciplinary action after she allegedly exchanged sexually explicit text messages and engaged in sexual activity with a client.

Sep 1, 2021 11:52 AM CDT

‘The sun is rising on the rule of law in the United States,’ says incoming ABA President Reginald Turner

In accepting his position as president of the American Bar Association, Reginald M. Turner shared the story of a half sun painted on the back of an armchair owned by Founding Father and former President George Washington. Fellow Founding Father Benjamin Franklin wondered whether the sun was rising or setting.

Aug 9, 2021 4:53 PM CDT

Longtime leader in legal ethics and professional responsibility will receive ABA Medal

Through a legal career that spans more than five decades, Lawrence Fox has become nationally recognized for his leadership in professional responsibility and legal ethics and his commitment to pro bono work.

Jun 17, 2021 3:01 PM CDT