ABA Issues First Ethics Opinion on Due Diligence Rules, Addressing Legal Work and Criminal Conduct
The American Bar Association (ABA) has released its first ethics opinion following the formalization of due diligence rules for attorneys' interactions with clients. This opinion aims to provide guidance on interpreting the recently amended rules. Legal professionals emphasize the importance of not only identifying problems but also offering solutions to clients' issues, particularly in commercial environments where clients seek practical resolutions rather than purely academic legal advice. Additionally, concerns have been raised regarding the potential for legal work to inadvertently contribute to clients' criminal conduct, prompting the ABA to share guidelines addressing these ethical considerations.
Sources
Law360
Just over a year after the American Bar Association formalized long-standing due diligence rules for attorneys' interactions with clients, an ABA committee on Friday released its first ethics opinion providing guidance on interpreting the rules amendment. https://t.co/jumfLQRBCN
Law.com Commercial clients operate in business environments and come to lawyers with problems. Sending a client just legal advice, in the sense of a dense legal treatise, however academically brilliant, won’t solve the client’s problem. #LeanAdviser https://t.co/ar4SqiI75L
ABA JournalWorried your legal work could contribute to clients' criminal conduct? New ABA ethics opinion shares guidelines. https://t.co/B7pDzXPAaQ #ABA #ethics #legalethics