ABA House amends Model Rule to address anti-money-laundering efforts

After a contentious debate, the ABA House of Delegates approved amendments to ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.16, which covers declining or terminating representation, at the ABA Annual Meeting in Denver on Tuesday.

Aug 8, 2023 4:25 PM CDT

Role of nonlawyer assistants in client intake addressed in new ABA ethics opinion

Lawyers may train nonlawyer legal assistants to handle client intake matters, but they must ensure that such assistants’ conduct is compatible with the lawyer’s professional obligations, including giving clients an opportunity to consult with the lawyer about questions, according to an ethics opinion from the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released Wednesday.

Jun 7, 2023 10:07 AM CDT

Bar admission denied for applicant who rose to law firm partnership without law license

A New York appeals court has denied bar admission to a 2000 law graduate who practiced law for nearly 10 years without a license, rising to law firm partnership.

Jun 6, 2023 9:36 AM CDT

Ex-lawyer Murdaugh, in prison for murder, is charged with stealing from clients

A disbarred lawyer who is serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife and one of his sons has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly stealing money from clients and his housekeeper’s family.

May 26, 2023 12:08 PM CDT

New ABA ethics opinion warns about handling retainer and other fees

Lawyers may not generally avoid the obligation to place client funds into a trust account upon receipt, according to an ethics opinion from the ABA’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released Wednesday.

May 3, 2023 10:05 AM CDT

Lawyer who sought client relationship with ‘daddy/daughter dynamic’ gets suspension

A Lancaster, Ohio, lawyer has been suspended after texting a client that he would like to share a “daddy/daughter dynamic” with her “in and out of the bedroom.”

May 2, 2023 12:45 PM CDT

Lawyers suspended for copying client data, unilaterally notifying clients about new firm

Two Florida associates who hoped to take their clients with them when they left their personal injury law firm have been suspended from law practice for violating bar rules during that process.

Apr 25, 2023 12:04 PM CDT

Trump’s $500M suit against Michael Cohen alleges ‘multiple breaches of fiduciary duty’

Former President Donald Trump has filed a $500 million lawsuit against his former lawyer Michael Cohen for allegedly revealing client confidences and spreading falsehoods about him.

Apr 13, 2023 8:43 AM CDT

Associate uploaded over 7,900 documents to external Dropbox before quitting, Littler alleges

Updated: Littler Mendelson is accusing a “disgruntled” associate of uploading more than 7,900 documents to an external Dropbox in February.

Mar 23, 2023 3:44 PM CDT

86-year-old lawyer caught on video groping multiple clients avoids disbarment

An 86-year-old Missouri lawyer has been suspended, but not disbarred, for groping five clients and touching another on the buttocks—all incidents that were caught on video.

Mar 23, 2023 10:05 AM CDT

Preventive Law: Helping your clients before push comes to shove

Rare is the client who looks to litigators, alternative dispute resolution specialists or even corporate counsel as the “go to” persons for providing services that will prevent disputes. Most attorneys serve their clients by representing them in disputes that are already or soon to be underway, with a focus on billable negotiation, mediation, arbitration or litigation representation. When it comes to employee and manager education, skills training and systemic dispute prevention, business leaders look not to their attorney advocates but to a potpourri of human relations consultants, trainers and behavioral science experts.

Mar 21, 2023 10:14 AM CDT

Arrests without formal charges or convictions no longer have to be disclosed by would-be lawyers in New York

The New York Supreme Court’s appellate division is whittling down the types of justice system involvement that would-be lawyers have to disclose when applying for bar admission. The changes are intended “to better promote equity and fairness in the character and fitness interview process.”

Mar 20, 2023 9:35 AM CDT

State bar finds ‘shocking past culture of unethical and unacceptable behavior’ in its handling of Girardi complaints

Disbarred trial lawyer Tom Girardi’s efforts to buy relationships and exercise influence at the State Bar of California likely caused some ethics complaints against him to be improperly closed, according to an outside review released Friday.

Mar 13, 2023 9:33 AM CDT

Choice-of-law questions for state ethics rules examined in new ABA opinion

Lawyers admitted to multiple jurisdictions may be subject to different ethical requirements in the different states in which they are licensed to practice law, according to a new ABA ethics opinion.

Mar 1, 2023 12:31 PM CST

Family law gave this lawyer some ideas about what clients really want

Jessica Bednarz has spent much of her career representing people, researching access-to-justice issues and using that knowledge to try to find better ways to deliver legal services. That includes using what’s known as “design thinking” for developing client service programs.

Feb 27, 2023 8:39 AM CST