Many solos and small firms charge their clients “nonrefundable” fees, intending to take an advance fee that can be used immediately to pay bills. In Pennsylvania, lawyers have termed these fees “nonrefundable,” and, have placed these funds directly into their operating accounts. In early May, the American Bar Association issued
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Over the past twenty years, government agencies and
regulators have expanded their investigations of corporations
across a broad spectrum of industries. These investigations of
corporate wrongdoing have created a booming industry for big firm
white-collar lawyers representing publicly traded corporations. As a
corollary to this boom, small-firm and solo lawyers have taken on
the role of
There are 75,600 lawyers in Pennsylvania. Last year, 3,818 disciplinary complaints were opened, and 132 attorneys were disciplined. Based on these numbers, it is safe to say that most of you reading this column will never hear from the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, the investigating and prosecuting arm of the
…It’s inevitable: the end of the year marks a time for reviewing your triumphs and your disappointments. This retrospection often leads to a determination to do better in the coming year. In that spirit I offer some New Year’s resolutions that I hope will be easy to keep and will
…On Oct. 24, House Resolution 231 narrowly passed out of the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 13-12. The resolution is titled: “A Concurrent Resolution Encouraging the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to make the investigation and disciplinary process of lawyers more transparent.” This resolution is misguided, unnecessary and is a
…As part of a month-long campaign exploring lawyer well-being as misconduct prevention, the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is providing interesting insight and strategies to help promote wellness and reduce stress amongst lawyers. They have published 4 articles as part of this campaign:
…The Pennsylvania Supreme Court https://www.pacourts.us/courts/supreme-court has created a Judicial Ethics Advisory Board. https://www.pacourts.us/news-and-statistics/news/news-detail/1101/supreme-court-of-pennsylvania-announces-membership-of-new-judicial-ethics-advisory-board The Board is populated with a diverse group of judges from across the state and across the levels of the judiciary. Similar to the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Board will provide
…On February 11, 2022, Attorney Elliott James Schuchardt was suspended for two years by order of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, reciprocal to jurisdiction of United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
When a lawyer is publicly disciplined in one jurisdiction, the lawyer is required to notify
…Last year, a Twitter thread addressed women and asked this question: How would your life change if men had a curfew at 8 p.m.? In other words, what would it be like if women could go out at night without the fear of being harassed or assaulted? How would a woman’s
…Recently, the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania appointed a new Board Chair and Board Vice-Chair. Attorney Jerry Lehocky will serve as Board Chair and attorney Dion Rassias as Vice-Chair, effective April 1, 2022. In 2023, Rassias will replace Lehocky
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