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    Wisconsin Lawyer
    April 01, 2006

    Supreme court releases tentative draft of new ethics rules

    The supreme court has wrapped up its initial open administrative conferences on the Ethics 2000 petition, and released a draft version reflecting the most recent tentative votes. The court has also approved a timetable for final consideration and implementation of the new rules. An order will be forthcoming.

    Wisconsin LawyerWisconsin Lawyer
    Vol. 79, No. 4, April 2006

    Supreme court releases tentative draft of new ethics rules

    On March 15, the Wisconsin Supreme Court wrapped up its initial open administrative conferences on the Wisconsin Ethics 2000 Committee's petition to amend the Supreme Court Rules, Chapter 20 Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys.

    The court spent many hours reviewing the proposed changes to Chapter 20," said Dean Dietrich, State Bar Professional Ethics Committee chair. "Many of the changes will improve lawyer-client relationships and how lawyers conduct themselves in the practice of law.

    The court expects to review the current draft over the coming weeks and will work on composing any statements or dissents it wishes to make on the record. These statements, and the current draft version of the rules, will be the subject of an open administrative conference to be held in mid-May. After the May conference, the court will release the final draft and ask for all interested parties to review the document and submit any written comments by Aug. 1, 2006. The court will reconvene in September to consider final language changes and issue a final order and determine whether the new rules will become effective on Jan. 1 or July 1 of 2007.

    The Wisconsin Supreme Court created the Ethics 2000 Committee to study the ABA's proposed changes to the model rules. The committee's report and petition, filed July 29, 2004, is the most comprehensive proposal for changes to SCR Chapter 20 since the mid-1980s.

    To learn more about proposed changes to SCR Chapter 20 and the Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys, attend the State Bar Professional Ethics Committee and the Nonresident Lawyers Division program on May 4 at the State Bar Annual Convention in Madison. The "Changing the Rules of Professional Conduct: A Journey to Improve Compliance and Relationships with Our Clients," is scheduled from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. To learn more about the program or to register, visit www.wisbar.org/convention or call (800) 728-7788 or (608) 257-3838.


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