liberty

JACPA Ethics Alert

 

Florida Bar’s Board of Governors gives final approval to significant

revisions to Comment to Bar Rule 4-5.8 regarding lawyers leaving law firms

 

Hello everyone and welcome to this Ethics Alert which will discuss the recent decision of The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors of to approve language to be added to the comment to Florida Bar Rule 4-5.8 related to lawyers leaving law firms.  An article in The Florida Bar News discusses the proposed revision and is here: http://www.floridabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/jnnews01.nsf/8c9f13012b96736985256aa900624829/7d1fa5d263aee7a585257dc400492f7d!OpenDocument

 

At its December 2014 meeting, The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors voted final approval of a proposed rule amendment clarifying the duties of lawyers and law firms when a lawyer leaves a law firm or the law firm dissolves.  According to the Bar News article, the proposed rule amendment “addresses questions directed to Bar staff through the Bar’s Ethics Hotline by lawyers and law firms and addresses how and which clients must be informed of changes in a firm and provides that such communications must be reasonable in timeliness and nature.”  The proposed revision will now be sent to the Florida Supreme Court for review and potential approval and implementation.

 

The proposed revision to the comment to Rule 4-5.8 is below with significant language in bold:

“Lawyers and firms should engage in bona fide, good faith negotiations within a reasonable period of time following their knowledge of either the anticipated change in firm composition or, if the anticipated change is unknown, within a reasonable period of time after the change in firm composition. The actual notification to clients should also occur within a reasonable period of time. What is reasonable will depend on the circumstances, including the nature of the matters in which the lawyer represented the clients and whether the affected clients have deadlines that need to be met within a short period of time.

For purposes of this rule, clients who should be notified of the change in firm composition include current clients for whom the departing lawyer has provided significant legal services with direct client contact. Clients need not be notified of the departure of a lawyer with whom the client has had no direct contact. Clients whose files are closed need not be notified unless the former client contacts the firm, at which point the firm should notify the former client of the departure of any lawyer who performed significant legal services for that former client and had direct contact with that former client.

“Although contact by telephone is not prohibited under this rule, proof of compliance with the requirements of this rule may be difficult unless the notification is in writing.

“In order to comply with the requirements of this rule, both departing lawyers and the law firm should be given access to the names and contact information of all clients for whom the departing lawyer has provided significant legal services and with whom the lawyer has had direct contact.

“If neither the departing lawyer nor the law firm intends to continue representation of the affected clients, they may either agree on a joint letter providing that information to those clients, or may separately notify the affected clients after bona fide, good faith negotiations have failed. Any obligation to give the client reasonable notice, protect the client’s interests on withdrawal, and seek permission of a court to withdraw may apply to both the departing lawyer and lawyers remaining in the firm.”

Bottom line:  According to the proposed amendment revision, clients who should be notified of the lawyer(s) leaving the law firm include “current clients for whom the departing lawyer has provided significant legal services with direct client contact.”  Further, if the lawyer had no direct client contact, “(c)lients need not be notified of the departure of a lawyer.”  However, the proposed revision does state that “both departing lawyers and the law firm should be given access to the names and contact information of all clients for whom the departing lawyer has provided significant legal services and with whom the lawyer has had direct contact.” 

If approved by the Florida Supreme Court, this revision will clarify, and have a very significant impact on, the ground rules for the notification of clients when a lawyer leaves a law firm or the law firm is dissolved and will significantly restrict the current clients to be notified when a lawyer leaves a law firm.

Be careful out there. 

           As always, if you have any questions about this Ethics Alert or need assistance, analysis, and guidance regarding these or any other ethics, risk management, or other issues, please do not hesitate to contact me.             

My law firm focuses on review, analysis, and interpretation of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar, advice and representation of lawyers in Bar disciplinary matters, defense of applicants for admission to The Florida Bar before the Board of Bar Examiners, defense of all Florida licensed professionals in discipline and admission matters before all state agencies and boards, expert ethics opinions, and practice management for lawyers and law firms.  If there is a lawyer or other Florida professional license involved, I can defend the complaint or help you get your license. 

If you have any questions or comments, please call me at (727) 799-1688 or e-mail me at [email protected].  You can find my law firm on the web atwww.jac-law.com. In addition to handling individual cases, matters, problems and issues for my clients, I also am on retainer to provide ethics advice to numerous lawyers and law firms throughout the state of Florida.  I also provide legal assistance and advice to numerous individuals and non-legal entities to help insure compliance with the law and rules related to UPL and other issues.

You are receiving this ETHICS ALERT since you are a current or former client or you have requested that this Update be sent to you.  Please note that you may opt in or out of receiving this ETHICS ALERT any time.  If you would like to discontinue receipt of this ETHICS ALERT or if you would like to begin receiving it, simply send me an e-mail to me advising of your request.

If there are others at your firm who would like to be included on the distribution list, please feel free to forward this update to them or let us know in an email.  If you would like to forward this Ethics Alert to any person or entity please feel free do so as long as it is not for personal gain and you forward the entire email, including all contact information and disclaimers. 

Disclaimer:  this e-mail is not an advertisement, does not contain any legal advice, and does not create an attorney/client relationship and the comments herein should not be relied upon by anyone who reads it.

Joseph A. Corsmeier, Esquire

Law Office of Joseph A. Corsmeier, P.A.

2454 McMullen Booth Road, Suite 431

Clearwater, Florida 33759

Office (727) 799-1688

Fax     (727) 799-1670

[email protected]

www.jac-law.com

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