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Get Ready for the New Rules of Professional Conduct

By George Khoury, Esq. on September 12, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

California lawyers, are you ready for the new rules of professional conduct going into effect November 1, 2018? The comprehensive overhaul of the rules will undoubtedly have an impact on lawyers throughout the state, and if you're not prepared, it could spell disaster.

Fortunately, The Rutter Group, the company behind the best California legal research guides on the market, is putting on an evening seminar in the coming weeks in San Francisco and Los Angeles: Mastering California's New Rules of Professional Conduct: What Every Lawyer Needs to Know to be in Compliance. At the seminar, you'll learn about the most important changes to the rules, and what you need to do to stay in compliance, apart from just getting re-fingerprinted. (Disclaimer: The Rutter Group is FindLaw's sister company.)

Compliance, Competence and Due Diligence

Fortunately, the new rules of professional conduct don't call for more CLE requirements, but there are plenty of new rules and revision you need to be aware of in order to maintain professional competence and compliance with the rules. Some of the new rules that will be discussed at the seminar include:

  • The new explicit ban on sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation.
  • New standards for lawyer advertising.
  • An even stricter ban on sex with clients.
  • New rules on imputing conflicts of interest.
  • The changing duties related to lawyer/law firm hierarchies.

Given that the ethical problems will always arise regardless of what kind of law you're practicing, you need to know what the new standards are to avoid ethical traps and issues.

Don't Risk Your License, Get Trained

The Rutter Group's upcoming seminar will be moderated by Presiding Judge Lee Smalley Edmon, of the California Court of Appeal, and include presentations from former judge of the State Bar court, Ellen Peck, law professor Kevin Mohr, and attorney Mark Tuft. The seminar includes three MCLE Ethics credits, and all the information you need to get up to speed on California's new requirements.

Also, as a perk for attendees, The Rutter Group California Practice Guide: Professional Responsibility, can be purchased for half-price. That discount alone covers the cost of the seminar.

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