The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas is accepting public comments on the following proposed ethics opinion: Proposed Opinion 2023-3 (comment deadline 4/16/2023): Do the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct prohibit staff counsel employed by an insurance company from representing insured clients if the insurance company considers the results of performance … Continue Reading
The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas is accepting public comments on the following proposed ethics opinions: Proposed Opinion 2023-1 (comment deadline 4/14/2023): Under Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, may a lawyer-defendant in a legal malpractice case enter into a settlement agreement in which the lawyer-defendant assigns to a non-lawyer plaintiff … Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: State Bar of Texas President Laura Gibson sent the following message to members on Wednesday. It is the duty of the State Bar of Texas to improve and advance the quality of legal services to the public, and foster integrity and ethical conduct in the legal profession. The attorney grievance system is vital … Continue Reading
The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas is accepting public comments on the following proposed ethics opinion through July 12: Proposed Opinion 21-3 (Revised): Under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, may a lawyer employed at a nonprofit agency that provides pro bono or low-cost legal services obtain client consent during … Continue Reading
The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas is accepting public comments on the following proposed ethics opinion through April 2: Proposed Opinion 22-1: Is it a violation of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct for a plaintiff’s personal injury lawyer to enter into an agreement to personally indemnify and hold harmless … Continue Reading
The Texas Center for Legal Ethics announced that former Chief Justice Ann Crawford McClure of the Eighth Court of Appeals in El Paso will receive the Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award. The TCLE presents the Pope Award to a judge or attorney who personifies the highest standards of professionalism and integrity in appellate law. … Continue Reading
The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas is accepting public comments on the following proposed ethics opinion through December 21. Proposed Opinion 21-4: (1) May a lawyer who practices in a private law firm that regularly represents a public entity accept a position with a hiring law firm that is routinely adverse … Continue Reading
The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas is accepting public comments on the following proposed ethics opinion through October 16: Proposed Opinion 21-3: Do the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct prohibit a lawyer who is employed by a nonprofit agency that provides legal services to clients from requesting that, as part … Continue Reading
Registration is now open for the 2021 State Bar of Texas Virtual Annual Meeting on June 17-18. For $185 you will have access to CLE programming from 20 State Bar sections and can earn up to 10 hours of CLE credit, including all of your ethics for the year. The CLE programming is available only … Continue Reading
The Texas Supreme Court has ordered a hearing to consider proposed disciplinary rules amendments approved by licensed Texas lawyers in the referendum that ended March 4. The hearing will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on May 4 via videoconference. It will be broadcast on the court’s YouTube channel. The amendments’ proposed effective date is … Continue Reading
The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas is accepting public comments on two proposed ethics opinions: Proposed Opinion 21-1: Under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, when may a lawyer represent a client adverse to a former prospective client of the lawyer or another lawyer in the lawyer’s firm? (Comment deadline: March … Continue Reading
The 2021 rules vote ends March 4, and the State Bar of Texas has resources to help Texas lawyers cast an informed ballot. Free CLE Course The TexasBarCLE Online Classroom is offering the free course “Rules Vote Forum: Proposed Disciplinary Rule Amendments,” which is accredited for 1 hour of MCLE ethics credit. This course is … Continue Reading
The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas is accepting public comments on the following proposed ethics opinion through March 22: Proposed Opinion 21-1: Under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, when may a lawyer represent a client adverse to a former prospective client of the lawyer or another lawyer in the lawyer’s … Continue Reading
Texas lawyers are being called upon to exercise their right of self-governance by voting on proposed amendments to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct and Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure. Voting will take place from February 2 to March 4 by paper and electronic ballot. The remaining public forums for the 2021 rules vote … Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: State Bar of Texas Executive Director Trey Apffel sent the following message to members on December 18. I hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. I am writing to share information related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to remind you about the upcoming public forums on the 2021 … Continue Reading
Come bring your cup of coffee and join TMCP 2020 on October 28-30, virtually! Isabel Wilkerson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, will be the conference’s keynote speaker on October 30. Register here. Participants can earn up to 6.75 MCLE hours, including 2 ethics hours. Caste is a New … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas will host a CLE webinar titled “An SBOT Focus on Diversity Listening Session” from noon to 1:15 p.m. CDT October 28. In this moderated panel discussion, Texas lawyers and bar leaders will discuss the impact of systemic racism and recent events on the legal community; the role of the State … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: The State Bar of Texas sent the following message to members on September 25. The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors held its quarterly meeting today by videoconference. Highlights of the meeting appear below. You can watch video of the meeting at youtube.com/statebaroftexas and read the agenda and meeting materials here. Referendum … Continue Reading
The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas is accepting public comments on two proposed ethics opinions through June 27. Proposed Opinion 20-2 (Revised) concerns whether a lawyer who represents a defendant in a criminal matter violates the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct if, after receiving tangible evidence from the lawyer’s client, the lawyer … Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: The State Bar of Texas is providing this collection of important links, blog posts, and media stories to keep its members and the public informed of the latest news and resources related to the novel coronavirus outbreak and its impact on the legal community. Important links State Bar of Texas Coronavirus Legal Resources … Continue Reading
The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas is accepting public comments on another proposed ethics opinion. Proposed Opinion 20-3, which is open for comment through April 10, concerns the following: When a lawyer retained under a contingent fee agreement withdraws from the representation due to a nonconsentable conflict of interest discovered shortly after … Continue Reading
The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas is accepting public comments on two proposed ethics opinions through March 27. The first proposed opinion deals with (1) whether a staff lawyer employed by an insurance company to defend its insureds must comply with the company’s guidelines regarding the defense of such cases, and (2) what … Continue Reading
A litany of rule changes have been made and ethics opinions issued by bar associations across the country in order to catch up with the pace of social media. A South by Southwest panel covered changes regarding competence, unintentionally transmitted communications, and disappearing data.… Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas seeks to remind the public that in many cases it is a crime in Texas for a lawyer or someone representing a lawyer to contact a person for purposes of legal representation if the person has not first requested the call or personal visit. The contact is not illegal if … Continue Reading
