State Bar of Wisconsin ethics opinions

Researchers should note that the new Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys become effective on July 1, 2007.

View all formal opinions

About State Bar ethics opinions

Ethics opinions of the State Bar Professional Ethics Committee apply the Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys and the prior standards in the Code of Professional Responsibility to specific factual situations. Although not binding, these ethics opinions constitute an important source of ethics guidance for Wisconsin lawyers. State Bar ethics opinions are authored by a committee directly accountable to the State Bar and ultimately accountable to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Although the ethics opinions are advisory only and not binding on the Office of Lawyer Regulation, the OLR often takes ethics opinions into consideration when evaluating the propriety of lawyers' conduct.

Formal opinions address fairly broad questions and are issued in response to requests by State Bar members. Currently, the State Bar issues only formal opinions.
Before 1974, the State Bar also issued informal opinions, responding to inquiries from State Bar members about issues generally narrower than those addressed in formal opinions.
Memorandum opinions are no longer in use; they were primarily responses to lawyers' requests for ethical guidance from State Bar staff counsel.

Highlights

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