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LAWYER ETHICS AND PROFESSIONALISM

Model Rules of Professional Conduct “Screening” Amendment Proposal

At its 2009 Midyear Meeting, the ABA House of Delegates adopted Report 109 from the Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility that amends Model Rules of Professional Conduct 1.10 (“Imputation of Conflicts of Interest: General Rule”) and 1.0 ("Terminology") to permit the screening of a lawyer who moves laterally from one private law firm to another, so that conflicts of interest that apply to the moving lawyer under Model Rule 1.9 (“Duties to Former Clients”) are not imputed to all the other lawyers in the new law firm.

ABA House OKs Lateral Lawyer Ethics Rule Change, ABA Journal, Feb. 2009

Follow the Middle Road: Revised ABA Model Rules seeks consensus on screening guidelines, ABA Journal, May 2009

Comments should be directed to ABA Ethics Counsel George Kuhlman at 312/988-5000 or gkuhlman@staff.abanet.org.

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Model Code of Professional Responsibility

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