Ethics - Guide to the Practice of Law

Since 1978, the Center has provided national leadership and vision in developing and interpreting standards and scholarly resources in legal ethics, professional regulation, professionalism and client protection mechanisms.

The Ethics 2000 Commission was formed in 1997 to review the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. It submitted a report to the House of Delegates at the August 2001 Annual Meeting. The report was debated at the August 2001 Annual and February 2002 Midyear Meetings. The changes to the Model Rules as amended during the debate were final at the end of the February 2002 Midyear Meeting.

This Code applies to United States Circuit Judges, District Judges, Court of International Trade Judges, Court of Federal Claims Judges, Bankruptcy Judges, and Magistrate Judges.

This weblog is focused on news and developments relating to lawyer ethics, stressing the interests of the average consumer-client.

The email newsletter Ethics and Lawyering Today, published roughly once a month, is where practicing lawyers stay current on the many ethics rules and other law that govern how they practice.

LegalEthics.com is a web site focused on the ethical issues associated with the use of technology by legal professionals. It is is updated by Professor David Hricik of Mercer University School of Law and Peter Krakaur.

The National Client Protection Organization, Inc. (NCPO) is a not-for-profit membership corporation which was organized in May 1998. NCPO is foremost an educational resource for the exchange of information among law client protection funds throughout the United States and Canada.

The Boundaries of Legal Marketing is all about the rules and policies that govern client development for legal services, in short lawyer advertising, marketing, and sales. It has been an area of controversy within the organzied bar for over a century and it deserves a forum for the views to be aired.

Some states require submission of attorney Websites for approval; some state offer guidelines for ethical content.

The ABA has the following model rules and resources concerning lawyers advertising and solicitation. In addition, a number of states have ethics opinions concerning attorney advertising in purely technological media.

This paper examines the regulation of attorney advertising over the internet

News and articles discussing attorney advertising issues.

California Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1-400. Advertising and solicitation

Various articles on subjects pertaining to legal ethics and the practice of law.

The explosive growth of the Internet allows people to instantaneously access information about the law and their legal rights from Web sites created by both lawyers and non-lawyers without ever leaving their homes or offices. As a result, issues relating to the unauthorized practice of law by lawyers and laypeople are arising with increasing frequency.

The Task Force on Unauthorized Practice of Law seeks out, identifies, and remedies injuries to the public and to the integrity of the profession caused by the unauthorized practice of law.

A decision issued in late December 2001 by the Ohio Board of Commissioners on the Unauthorized Practice of the Law (the Board) helps to define whether certain online conduct by non-lawyers is tantamount to impermissible legal practice.

This digital library contains both the codes or rules setting standards for the professional conduct of lawyers and commentary on the law governing lawyers, organized on a state by state basis.