"Lawyers admitted to multiple jurisdictions may be subject to different ethical requirements in the different states in which they are licensed to practice law, according to a new ABA ethics opinion.
A March 1 ethics opinion from the ABA’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility provides a comprehensive analysis of which jurisdiction generally controls in these instances.
The governing rule noted in Formal Opinion 504 is ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 8.5, which provides in subsection (a) that: “A lawyer admitted to practice in this jurisdiction is subject to the disciplinary authority of this jurisdiction, regardless of where the lawyer’s conduct occurs.”
A March 1 press release from the ABA is here.
Model Rule 8.5(b) deals with choice-of-law questions as follows:
1. “For conduct in connection with a matter pending before a tribunal, the rules of the jurisdiction in which the tribunal sits, unless the rules of the tribunal provide otherwise.”
This article was originally posted in the ABA Journal.
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