New York State Bar Association Ethics Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of legal ethics opinions issued by the New York State Bar Association, with full citations and source links on every page.
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May a lawyer admitted only in New Jersey and DC who works as a salaried associate at a New York firm simultaneously run a solo New Jersey practice, and what New York-rules duties attach to the conflicts, advertising, and trust-account aspects?
The opinion concludes the New York Rules do not bar simultaneous employment at two firms, but Rule 1.10 imputes conflicts across both firms (no screening cure available), Rule 7.1 governs any advertis…
Can a New York lawyer pay an online platform that scores users' anonymized workplace-experience entries and connects the lawyer with a user (with the user's consent) without violating the solicitation, advertising, or fee-payment rules?
The opinion concludes the resulting lawyer-user communication is neither a solicitation nor an advertisement (the user initiates it by consenting to disclosure), and the lawyer's payment is a permissi…
What conflicts of interest does a New York per diem (appearance counsel) attorney face when switching between representing plaintiff lenders and defendant debtors in collection matters?
The opinion concludes that a per diem lawyer may not oppose a current client in any matter, or a former client in a substantially related matter, without informed consent confirmed in writing; persona…
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Legal ethics opinions from the New York State Bar Association interpret the rules of professional conduct for working lawyers, in response to inquiries from members and committees. They are not binding like court discipline decisions, but courts and discipline boards treat formal opinions as substantial guidance on how the rules apply. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the original source on the bar's site.