Tag Archives: Legal Ethics

Clients Calling the Shots? A Legal Ethics Counsel’s Perspective

Posted on March 15, 2013 by The Legal Reformer

Every month, one member of the District of Columbia Bar’s Legal Ethics Counsel or Bar Counsel, writes an article in the Washington Lawyer (the District of Columbia Bar journal) posing an ethical issue and providing guidance to lawyers how to deal with it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reform | Tagged Advice, Bar Counsel, Client-Side Manner, Clients, Conflict of Interest, Disciplinary Complaint, District of Columbia Bar, Legal Consumer, Legal Ethics, Saul Jay Singer, Washington Lawyer | Leave a comment

Astonishing Remark from the Bench!

Posted on December 15, 2012 by The Legal Reformer

With one stunning comment, a Southern California judge delivered an astonishing remark about rape victims everywhere. Orange County, California Superior Court Judge Derek Johnson, a former prosecutor in the Orange County district attorney’s sex crimes unit, made the following comment at a … Continue reading →

Posted in Reform | Tagged Associated Press, Derek Johnson, Disciplinary Action, Judges, Legal Ethics, Legal Reform, Orange County California, Rape, Todd Akin | Leave a comment

New Federal Agency CFPB to Oversee Debt Collectors — Including Lawyers and Law Firms

Posted on October 26, 2012 by The Legal Reformer

The Washington Post reported on October 23, 2012 that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a new federal “watchdog agency,” will be overseeing debt collection firms with receipts of more than $10 million, and that the collection firms overseen will include lawyers … Continue reading →

Posted in Reform | Tagged CFPB, Collection agency, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Credit bureau, Legal Consumer, Legal Ethics, Legal Practices, Legal Reform, News | Leave a comment

Are State Bar Grievance Committees “Good Ol’ Boy Systems”?

Posted on October 19, 2012 by The Legal Reformer

Every practicing attorney in the U.S. is licensed by one or more state bar associations, and those licensing entities have grievance committees that address ethics complaints filed against attorneys they license. What many legal consumers may not know is that … Continue reading →

Posted in Reform | Tagged Attorney Misconduct, Attorneys, Disciplinary Action, Disciplinary Complaint, HALT, Legal Consumer, Legal Ethics, News | Leave a comment

Attorney Disbarred for Fee Ultimatum to Clients

Posted on September 21, 2012 by The Legal Reformer

The New Hampshire Supreme Court disbarred an attorney this week for giving an ultimatum to his clients in February of 2006: agree to his $2 million fee or he would not represent them in the mediation taking place that same … Continue reading →

Posted in Billing | Tagged Attorney Misconduct, Attorneys, Clients, Conflict of Interest, Disbarment, Disciplinary Action, Fee Disputes, Legal Ethics, News, Settlement | 1 Comment

Scott Turow Weighs In: The Billable Hour Must Die

Posted on August 14, 2012 by The Legal Reformer

Notable author, Scott Turow, wrote the cover article for the August 2007 issue of the ABA Journal, titled The Billable Hour Must Die: It rewards inefficiency. It makes clients suspicious. And it may be unethical. Interestingly, The Billable Hour Must Die has … Continue reading →

Posted in Billing | Tagged American Bar Association, Attorneys, Books, Clients, Conflict of Interest, Legal Consumer, Legal Ethics | Leave a comment

Caveat Emptor – Legal Buyer Beware

Posted on July 27, 2012 by The Legal Reformer

In December 2011, Debra Cassens Weiss posted an article on the ABA Journal website titled Suit by Fired Lawyer Claims Law Firm Encouraged Fraud with 3000-Hour Billable Quota. The article reported on a California lawyer’s employment bias law suit alleging he … Continue reading →

Posted in Billing | Tagged Attorney Misconduct, Attorneys, Billing Fraud, Caveat Emptor, Clients, Competence, False Billing, Fraudulent Billing, Lawyers, Legal Consumer, Legal Ethics, Over Billing | Leave a comment

It’s 2012, Do You Know If The Attorney You Are Choosing Has A Disciplinary History?

Posted on July 20, 2012 by The Legal Reformer

In the long-running saga of Lindsay Lohan’s legal troubles, every single misstep — each dirty drug test, every missed court appearance, even a profane message etched on her fingernail — was publicized, scrutinized and dissected in tabloids the world over. … Continue reading →

Posted in Vetting | Tagged Attorney Misconduct, Attorneys, Clients, Conflict of Interest, Disciplinary Action, Disciplinary Complaint, HALT, Lawyers, Legal Consumer, Legal Ethics, Legal Reform, News, Self-Regulation | Leave a comment

Legal Consumer Tip #1 – Take Notes

Posted on July 13, 2012 by The Legal Reformer

Dear legal consumers, We ran across a very interesting blog post by Eric Cooperstein, a Minnesota lawyer who defends attorneys facing ethics complaints and fee disputes. On Lawyerist.com: (law-yer-ist) n. The lawyering survival guide, Mr. Cooperstein posted Avoid Ethics Complaints by … Continue reading →

Posted in Tips | Tagged Advice, Attorneys, Clients, Fee Disputes, Lawyers, Legal Consumer, Legal Ethics, Taking Notes | 4 Comments