Ethics in Brief: New Law to Be Aware Of
By Michael L. Crowley New rules concerning lawyer advertising or use of lawyer referral services (LRS) have been enacted as of January 1 that make profound changes in the law. For decades the rules...
Category: Legal Ethics
Ethics in Brief —Behind the Brief: Do Clients Need to Know About AI Use in Legal Drafting?
By Alexis C. Garcia, Esq. Many attorneys now rely on AI tools to draft pleadings, summarize materials, or evaluate legal theories before consulting Lexis and Westlaw. While its speed and convenience are undeniable, AI...
Ethics in Brief: Court of Appeal Draws a Bright Line in Frivolous Appeal
By David C. Carr Legal ethics for the practitioner is often about drawing lines. Often, it is not clear where the line should be drawn. The California Rules of Professional Conduct[1] and the statutes in the Business...
Some Practical Guidance for Rule 8.3 of the California Rules of Professional Conduct
By Anne M. Rudolph Rule of Professional Conduct 8.3, titled “Reporting Professional Misconduct,” went into effect on August 1, 2023, making California the last state to implement a version of this rule. Referred to by...
Ethics in Brief: The California State Bar’s “Guidelines” For the Ethical Use of AI
The State Bar of California Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct Practice Guidance for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in the Practice of Law Executive Summary By Charles Berwanger Generative AI is...
Ethics in Brief: Oh, When Will They Ever Learn: Attorneys’ Continued Unverified Use of AI Garners Sanctions and Ethics Violations
By Charles Berwanger Peter, Paul, and Mary had it right when they sang the soulful song: Where Have All the Flowers Gone – mankind simply does not learn from history. For the last at...
When Will We Learn? Hallucination Hell
By Edward McIntyre A recurring series where fictional characters discuss realethics scenarios. Macbeth, a long-recognized expert in legalethics, professional responsibility, and the law of lawyeringis joined by his nephew Duncan and Sara, the very...
Ethics In Brief: Does The Attorney-Client Privilege Survive After the Death of a Client?
by: Anne Rudolph Pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 6068, subdivision (e), an attorney must maintain inviolate a client’s confidences. The only exception is that an attorney may, but is not required to,...
It’s Not Just the Fake Cases, AI Doesn’t Think Like a Lawyer
By Katie ParkerAssociate Clinical Professor, USD School of Law It was over two decades ago, but I still vividly remember how starting law school felt like drinking from a fire hose. The reading, the...
Ethics in Brief — More Than the Minimum: Raising the Bar from Compliance to Best Practices
By Valerie Silverman Massey The California Rules of Professional Conduct (Rules) serve as the ethical backbone of legal practice. These Rules establish the minimum standards required to avoid disciplinary action, but they are not...