Falling below the standard of care in providing legal services to a client can of course bring a malpractice claim down on your head — and as we’ve pointed out, the economic climate resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic raises the risk of such claims. Let’s say that you’ve actually made an error. If you
Can you buy groceries for a client? NYC bar urges ethics rule reform
Lawyers should be allowed to help provide “basic financial assistance to indigent clients — such as money for groceries, clothes or medical supplies,” the New York City Bar Association said last week in a letter to the state’s courts. In light of the urgent need caused by the corona virus pandemic, the group is seeking
Ethics and risk management: What will the “new normal” look like?
When we scheduled our daughter’s wedding for March 15 in New York City, little did we know how surreal the world would be by then. The wedding did happen, with a much-reduced number of guests, hand sanitizer on each table, and with the hora joyously danced with gloves on. The next day, the governor banned
COVID-19 Task Force
Thompson Hine has assembled a multidisciplinary task force to address clients’ business and legal needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please visit our COVID‑19 Task Force web page for additional publications and resources.
Better Call Saul: Legal ethics you can use
We’ve written before about Better Call Saul and its legal ethics lessons. Now, as we all WFH (work from home, that is), here comes a light-hearted series featuring Rhea Seehorn’s character, Kim Wexler, discussing various legal ethics issues. You can watch the first installment on YouTube here. It’s a fun five minutes on
Can we talk? In-house counsel and opponent’s lawyer can communicate, says Va. opinion
Most lawyers have a general understanding of the “no-contact rule” — namely that under state versions of Model Rule 4.2, with a few exceptions, you can’t communicate directly on the subject of the representation with someone you know is represented by counsel. But where does in-house counsel fit in? Is in-house counsel “fair game”
DOJ division leader apologizes for license lapse and inadvertent practice
Have you recently made a career move — maybe going in-house? Or shifting from a firm to government work? When you’re dealing with a work-life change, watch out for details that can too-easily fall through the cracks — like your license to practice, the date it expires, and whether you are in line to get
Ponzi schemer misused funds, but Fox Rothschild not liable to non-client says NJ supreme court
“Attorneys carry substantial responsibility, but it is folly to suggest it is limitless,” said the New Jersey Supreme Court last week. The court ruled that when the Fox Rothschild firm complied with its client’s disbursement instructions it did not thereby convert funds that a non-client had wired to the firm’s trust account — even though,
Five ways to stay out of ethics trouble in 2020
As 2020 kicks off, let’s take a look back at situations that got lawyers into ethical hot water last year. They each point to some ways you can stay out of trouble this year.
1. Talk nicely
As widely reported, calling your opposing counsel a “bowl of d- – ks,” among other epithets is
Overbilling based on reconstructed time charges leads to suspension for Bay State lawyer
If you’re making a New Year’s resolution to improve your time-keeping and billing habits, you can draw inspiration from this cautionary tale, detailing how a Massachusetts lawyer, a partner at a large firm, has been suspended for six months for overbilling clients at her prior firm.
3,000+ billable hours?!
As widely reported, the partner’s