May a lawyer share office premises with a nonlawyer tenant while keeping staff, phones, files, and advertising separate?

Plain-English summary

A lawyer proposed renting part of an office to a nonlawyer. The question specified separate enclosed offices, a shared reception area, separate secretaries and telephone systems, separate signs, secured legal files, and no shared information or advertising.

Based on those facts, the opinion says the proposed office-sharing arrangement would not violate the Rules of Professional Conduct.

Currency note

This opinion was issued in 1997, before Missouri’s 2007 revisions to the Rules of Professional Conduct. Subsequent rule amendments or later opinions may have changed the analysis. Treat this page as historical context and verify current rules before relying on it.

Common questions

Q: Was a shared reception area included?

A: Yes. The question described a common reception area along with separate offices, staff, and telephones.

Q: What did the facts say about client files?

A: They would remain in separate secured storage, with no sharing of information.

Background and rules framework

The published answer applies the Rules of Professional Conduct to the arrangement described but does not cite a numbered rule.

See also

• Missouri Informal Op. 970192: Shared Fax and Copy Room
• Missouri Informal Op. 980220: Shared Office Files

Source

• Landing page: https://mo-legal-ethics.org/informal-opinion/970035/
• Rule revision reference: Missouri Informal Opinion 970082

Original opinion text

Reproduced from the official source for research purposes. The linked source is authoritative.

QUESTION: Attorney owns office space and is considering entering into a landlord/tenant office sharing relationship with a non-attorney. The offices are all separated and have closing doors. There would be a common reception area. The non-attorney would have a separate secretary and phone system. There would be separate signage outside and inside the office space. All legal files would be maintained in separate storage and secured. No sharing of information would occur. There would be no sharing of advertising. ANSWER: Based on the information provided, the office sharing arrangement Attorney has proposed will not violate the Rules of Professional Conduct.