I have been writing this professional conduct column for over 10 years, with and without co-authors, discussing topics from the mundane to the philosophical. This month, my co-author is Lynn Nichols, who is beginning a new practice representing respondents before the Disciplinary Board, and whose experience as a former homicide prosecutor
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On March 16, as we were confronting the reality of a pandemic and its potentially devastating effects, I authored a column for this publication titled “Keep Calm and Carry On: Ethics in a Time of Stress.” The article included some practical advice for counter-acting the effects of the pressures
…On August 10th, 2020, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania suspended Philadelphia attorney M.B. for one year, based on a criminal conviction for “harassment by offensive touching or threat,” a petty disorderly persons offense in New Jersey. M.B. is a lawyer with decades of experience who arranged to meet a young
…Blogs start with the best intentions but often move to the back burner and then fall off the stove altogether! Mine is no different. However, the good news is that I have both a renewed commitment to this Blog and a new assistant to help with the labor (more about
…On June 8, 2020, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court approved adoption of Rule 8.4(g) broadening the definition of misconduct to include the following:
g) in the practice of law, by words or conduct, knowingly manifest bias or prejudice, or engage in harassment or discrimination, as those terms are defined in applicable
…Three years ago, after over two decades of practicing in small firms, medium sized firms and big firms, I decided to open a solo practice. A solo practice offers two things critical to work satisfaction: flexibility and autonomy. With that come other attractions: there is no billable hours requirement and
…Very Big News from the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania was posted on the The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania website this afternoon! Candidates for the postponed July 2020 Bar Exam will now be eligible for a temporary “limited license” permitting them to practice under the “direct and ongoing” supervision
…For many of us, our practices take us into the lives of our clients at times of great stress. Whether it is criminal trouble, professional licensing trouble, matrimonial trouble, or business trouble, legal trouble is painful and all-consuming. Guiding clients through these troubled waters to land, at least relatively safely,
…Sleepless nights are a criminal defense attorney’s lot in life, full of worry about all the things that can and do go wrong in the high-stakes work of protecting individual liberty. But there is one more thing you should be worried about: your office’s compliance with the Pennsylvania Rules of
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