Model Rules of Professional Conduct

Why state bars are struggling to keep pace with AI in legal practice

Walk into any law firm today, and you’ll likely find attorneys using artificial intelligence tools for everything from contract analysis to brief writing. Yet if you walk into most state bar associations, you’ll find regulatory frameworks that haven’t caught up to this new reality.

Dec 15, 2025 12:31 PM CST

In withdrawal filings, client confidentiality must be guarded, even if it brings risk of denial, new ABA ethics opinion says

Disclosure of client information in support of a withdrawal motion must be narrowly tailored, according to a new ethics opinion from the ABA’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.

Dec 3, 2025 10:00 AM CST

If mediating for unrepresented parties, lawyer must explain role clearly, new ABA ethics opinion says

Sometimes lawyers who work as mediators must explain to unrepresented parties the differences between mediating a case and representing clients and discuss what that means, according to a new ethics opinion by the ABA’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.

Oct 15, 2025 10:02 AM CDT

As Customs searches more electronic devices, lawyers have some considerations when they cross borders

The government is searching more cellphones and laptops of international travelers than they have in the past, and lawyers need to take extra steps to protect their client information.

Sep 8, 2025 9:02 AM CDT

Firm founders who sought liquidated damages for early attorney exits should be suspended, conduct board says

The founding partners of a law firm who required lawyers to pay liquidated damages for early exits should be suspended for 90 days, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals’ Board on Professional Responsibility said in a July 30 opinion.

Aug 4, 2025 11:54 AM CDT

ABA ethics opinion addresses jury selection discrimination from consultants and AI technology

When using peremptory challenges, lawyers should not strike jurors based on discrimination, according to an ethics opinion by the ABA’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.

Jul 9, 2025 10:20 AM CDT

Nonlawyers can partly own law firms in Puerto Rico under revised ethics rules

Puerto Rico has enacted new lawyer ethics rules that allow nonlawyers to have an ownership interest in law firms, a departure from Model Rule 5.4 of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct on professional independence.

Jun 25, 2025 2:59 PM CDT

Bullying is a problem in the legal profession. How can the cycle be broken?

“I have heard from so many people saying, ‘This is exactly what happened to me,’” says Erin Gordon, author of Look What You Made Me Do: Confronting Heartbreak & Harassment in Big Law. “Partners in particular have power in their firms, and they are like bullies in the schoolyard.”

Jun 1, 2025 12:00 AM CDT

Lawyer at a Party: How to handle unwanted legal inquiries

“My lease says no pets allowed, but that’s only for like really big dogs—right?” You take a deep breath, look at your inquisitor and wonder anew why you left the comfort of your home for this cocktail party. At home, no one asks you legal questions.

May 29, 2025 9:51 AM CDT

Recruitment of lawyers from Trump-targeted firms is ethics violation, Democrats’ letter says

Updated: Two Democratic lawmakers are asking White House counsel David Warrington and six BigLaw firms for information related to deals made with President Donald Trump to avoid punitive executive orders.

Apr 9, 2025 2:40 PM CDT

Using generative artificial intelligence? Ethics guidance is available

Jennifer Wondracek, a professor of legal research and writing at the Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio, spoke Thursday during an ABA Techshow 2025 program titled, “Ethical Panel Considerations for Lawyers Using Artificial Intelligence.” She and her co-panelists shared their approaches to using generative artificial intelligence in legal practice, as well as potential risks to keep in mind.

Apr 4, 2025 9:15 AM CDT

When are lawyers barred from dropping clients because of ‘materially adverse’ effect? ABA ethics opinion addresses issue

A lawyer’s motivation for ending a client representation is not relevant when assessing whether the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct bar the withdrawal because of a “materially adverse” impact, but three other factors matter, according to an ABA ethics opinion released Wednesday.

Apr 3, 2025 9:11 AM CDT

2 firms speak out after Trump seeks lawyer sanctions for ‘unreasonable and vexatious’ suits against US

Two law firms have issued statements criticizing President Donald Trump after he issued a memo late Friday calling for sanctions, ethics referrals and reassessment of security clearances against lawyers and firms that engage in “frivolous, unreasonable and vexatious litigation” against the United States.

Mar 24, 2025 11:20 AM CDT

Attorney’s ‘egregious’ conduct warrants disbarment, not suspension, Florida Supreme Court says

The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that a Palm Beach County, Florida, attorney should be disbarred over professional misconduct, despite a referee’s recommendation that he only receive a 91-day suspension.

Mar 17, 2025 9:22 AM CDT

Lawyers who are victims of clients’ crimes can’t be expected to stay silent, new ABA ethics opinion says

It’s a common scam—someone poses as a potential client online, with the nefarious goal of getting a lawyer to cash and refund a fraudulent check. Reporting the person to law enforcement does not violate an attorney’s duty of confidentiality because there’s an implicit exception when the lawyer is the victim of a client or a potential client’s crime, according to an ethics opinion published Wednesday by the ABA’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.

Mar 5, 2025 10:09 AM CST