To avoid serious ethical consequences, be sure you review relevant ethics rules and guidelines in the jurisdiction in which you are employed.
Vol. 76, No. 3, March
2003
The Ethics of Transitioning to a New Job: Caveat!
To avoid serious ethical consequences, be sure you review relevant
ethics rules and guidelines in the jurisdiction in which you are
employed.
by Keith J. Kaap
Lawyers terminating employment relationships to accept other
employment, enter into a new association, or open their own practices
should review relevant ethics rules and guidelines in the jurisdiction
in which they are employed. In Wisconsin, for example, lawyers would
want to review Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules 20:1.16 and 20:7.3 in
particular and State Bar of Wisconsin Standing Committee on Professional
Ethics Formal Opinion E-97-2.
For a broader, national perspective on ethics issues relating to
employment change, lawyers may wish to review American Bar Association
Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility Formal
Opinion 99-414 and the Restatement of the Law Governing
Lawyers, vol. 1, pp. 87-97 (ALI, 2000). Lawyers should not rely
upon the general content of the accompanying article for guidance on
these ethics issues.
Keith J. Kaap, U.W. 1971,
is th State Bar of Wisconsin Ethics Consultant on the ethics hotline. He
can be reached at (800) 444-9404,ext. 6161, or (608) 250-6168 (all day
Wednesday); and (608) 629-5721 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
mornings.
Wisconsin
Lawyer