May I List My Practice “Specialty” on LinkedIn?
I sure wouldn’t. The New York State Bar Association Committee on Professional Ethics advised in a Summer 2013 ethics opinion that a lawyer may not list the lawyer’s services under …
ABA Opinion Approves Fee Sharing with Lawyer in Another Jurisdiction Even Though Nonlawyer May Own Part of Firm There
ABA Formal Opinion 464 (Aug. 19, 2013) considered whether a lawyer in, for example, Louisiana, could share legal fees with a lawyer in, for example, the District of Columbia even …
Louisiana Legal Ethics Book
Louisiana Legal Ethics: Standards & Commentary (2013), an up-to-date compendium of useful citations and indispensable practical advice.
Add Ethics to the “Real” Bar Examination
Tomorrow (August 17, 2013), the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) will administer the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) to applicants seeking admission to practice law in Louisiana and most other jurisdictions …
Must I Withdraw Because I May Be a Witness?
Not necessarily. Louisiana Rule 3.7(a) provides that “[a] lawyer shall not act as advocate at a trial in which the lawyer is likely to be a necessary witness unless: (1) …
Can I Make Any Payments to a Fact Witness?
Yes. Louisiana Rule of Professional Conduct 3.4(b) provides that “[a] lawyer shall not . . . offer an inducement to a witness that is prohibited by law.” Given this language, …
May I Undertake a Limited Scope Representation?
A Louisiana lawyer may undertake a “limited scope” representation of a client. See La. Rules of Prof’l Conduct R. 1.2(c). For example, a lawyer who represents an employee injured on the …
May I Share Office Space with Nonlawyers?
Technological improvements have allowed lawyers to practice in nontraditional settings. From homes to beaches to shared office suites, lawyers can get more and more work done without secretaries, dictaphones and …
ABA Rethinking Legal Education?
The ABA Task Force on the Future of Legal Education is hard at work. Its most recent “working paper,” which it released in anticipation of a public hearing and meeting …
May I Add an Arbitration Clause to My Engagement Agreement?
Yes. Most state courts that have considered the enforceability of lawyer-client arbitration clauses have approved them. The issue was an open question in Louisiana, however, until the Louisiana Supreme …