(Edited – Dec. 8, 2017 to fix very embarrassing mistakes as to the company name of Atrium.) On the heels of my posting earlier this week about my failure to understand how the Atrium law firm backed by the Atrium tech company is something that complies with California’s ethics rules (much less ethics rules in […]
Things I don’t understand… Atrium LLP
You may, by now, have read an article or two about the launch of a “technology-focused law firm” by the name of Atrium LLP. Its headquarters are in California. Having now read several articles about it – and how it has come to be and how it will operate – I simply don’t understand it. […]
A patchwork post for your Friday
Today’s content will be an original recipe of (1) part shameless self-promotion; (2) two parts serious recommendations to read the writings of others; and (3) pop culture recommendations for your downtime this weekend. First, the shameless. I am pleased to announce the plan for this year’s Ethics Roadshow. Here’s the promotional piece you will soon […]
“DoNotPay” Becomes HelpYouSue
I had another idea for a blogpost in mind at this stage of the week, but between travel and this story, this was the thing that had to be acknowledged today. Yesterday’s big technology news for lawyers (sort of lost in the Apple event revealing a brand new version of what will likely become Ted […]
I’ve written in the past about issues associated with RPC 8.4(c) and how its potential application to any act of dishonesty on the part of a lawyer — no matter how trivial or unrelated to the practice of law it might be — makes it a problematic ethics rule. A disciplinary proceeding presently being pursued […]
Though news to me much more recently, the LA County Bar Ass’n Prof’l Responsibility and Ethics Committee issued an interesting ethics opinion back in April on a wrinkle that can arise in the tripartite relationship created in insurance defense situations. You can read the whole thing here, but its summary is pretty to-the-point: When an […]
A kind note from a satisfied client
Since I’m seeing quite a few of these notes from satisfied clients on LinkedIn, Facebook, and other places in various formats, it seems like a good time to share a touching one I received recently. Brian, Thank you very much for the really great work and the successful outcome. I really appreciate you and all […]
Many moons ago (look at me and my topical thinly-veiled 8/21/17 Eclipse reference), I wrote a post about Model Rule 2.1 being perhaps the least discussed ethics rule and why maybe it shouldn’t be. But, a recent news item about a relatively humdrum topic, a relatively large multi-state law firm (Husch Blackwell) announcing that it […]
So, I’m getting a very wonderful opportunity to participate in a debate about lawyer advertising in November in Nashville at The Advocates’ Society annual meeting. A throng of lovely Canadian attorneys will be traveling to our state capital for a two-day meeting. I say all of this for two reasons: Reason the first – today […]
A number of folks have already written about how New York has dealt another setback for Avvo Legal Services in the form of NY State Bar Ethics Op. 1132 which found that New York lawyers could not participate in Avvo Legal Services because payment of Avvo’s marketing fee amounts to payment for recommendation of services […]