Ethics

The ABA has issued an important opinion regarding the ethical obligations of lawyers who serve as their firm's ethics counsel.  The opinion (08-453) is here, and the press release is here.  (Thanks to the ABA Journal Daily News Letter for a useful summary of the opinion as well as links.)

According to the press release, the opinion addresses issues that "are raised by the possible creation of a client-lawyer relationship between the consulting lawyer and the in-house ethics counsel, and by the potential conflict that may arise between the interests of the law firm and those of the consulting lawyer.  Although consulting in-house ethics counsel is 'without question valuable,' law firms must understand and consider the ethical issues created by such consultations, according to the committee."  The opinion describes these considerations in detail and is a must-read for the increasing number of lawyers who serve as in-house legal ethics advisors.