The fifth edition of the Pennsylvania Ethics Handbook is a substantial update, incorporating discussion and citation to numerous recent ethics opinions, court decisions, articles, and significant developments of interest in the field. Each and every chapter has been revised and supplemented. Among the many areas of additional guidance, this edition incorporates the amendments to the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct through February 9, 2017, including recent amendments to RPC 1.2, 1.7, 1.8, 1.15, 1.17, 5.7, and 5.8. This update also includes discussions of recent formal opinions issued by the Ethics Committee covering topics such as the ethical use of social media by attorneys, ethical constraints in responding to a client’s negative online review, participation in fixed-fee, limited-scope legal services referral programs, and providing advice to marijuana-related businesses. The fifth edition features updates of all 15 chapters, annotations, and commentary, as well as an appendix of the Rules of Professional Conduct with comments.
Summary of Contents
- Identification of the Client and the Scope of Representation
- Basic Duties Owed to the Client
- Confidentiality
- Conflicts of Interest
- Property Held for Clients and Others and Lawyer Trust Accounts
- Fees and Billing
- The Lawyer as Advocate
- Transactions with Persons Other Than Clients
- Advertising and Solicitation
- Organization as Client: Rule 1.13
- Organizing an Ethical Law Practice
- Nonlegal Services
- Misconduct and Reporting Obligations Under Rule 8.4
- An Introduction to the Disciplinary Board
- Functioning in the Profession
- Index of Rules
- Subject Index