Do You Have a Law-Practice Succession Plan?
The Louisiana State Bar Association thinks that you should. In June 2015, the LSBA House of Delegates and Board of Governors approved a resolution proposing the adoption of a new …
“Best Practices” for Effective Electronic Communication
The Florida State Bar Association has published a short guide for lawyers who use electronic means of communication–namely, all lawyers. See The Florida Bar Best Practices for Effective Electronic Communication …
May I Market My Law Practice with Donuts?
The advice from a recent South Carolina Bar Association opinion: “Eat up.” See S.C. Bar Ethics Adv. Op. 15-02. That answer came in response to an opinion request from a firm …
Does an Affirmative Duty to Avoid Negligent Destruction of Evidence Exist in Louisiana?
As noted in a previous post, Louisiana requires parties involved in litigation to avoid the intentional destruction of evidence for the purpose of depriving an opposing party of its use. While it …
Don’t Lie About Your Trip
A New York lawyer was disbarred on July 14, 2015 for lying to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency on a reentry form “on which he falsely stated that …
Must I Self-Report My Own Misconduct?
This is a question that I get a lot—usually on a Monday morning from a lawyer who had the misfortune of being arrested for DWI or another misdemeanor over the …
May I “Clean Up” My Client’s Social Media Pages in Advance of Litigation?
Yes, but don’t destroy any evidence. A 2015 Florida State Bar Association ethics advisory committee addressed whether a lawyer may advise a client to “clean up” social-media pages in anticipation of …
June 2015 Discipline
These lawyers were the subject of Louisiana Supreme Court disciplinary orders or Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board recommendations that were made public during the month of June 2015. Louisiana Supreme Court David …
Should Your Law Firm Do an Ethics Audit?
At least one bar association thinks so. The Washington State Bar recently posted a “Self-Audit Checklist” that has a lawyer/self-auditor consider questions such as the following: Client Relations. Does your firm have …
Is an Unethical Agreement to Share Fees with a Nonlawyer Enforceable?
The West Virginia Supreme Court recently considered whether a nonlawyer who worked with a lawyer on toxic tort cases could “share the benefits half/half, 50/50.” See Rich v. Simoni, No. 14-0998, …