02.03.2014 Order of Suspension [Catawba County]
Attorney Robert W. Adams represented various clients in Social Security Administration (SSA) cases. In representing several SSA clients, Mr. Adams […]
Professional Responsibility & Legal Ethics
01.28.2014 Order of Interim Suspension [Richmond County]
Attorney John W. Roebuck, Jr., illegally purchased hydrocodone from a former client who was acting as a confidential informant for
01.15.2014 Consent Order Transferring Member to Disability Inactive Status [Cumberland County]
The disciplinary order notes that Thomas H. Clements “currently suffers from alcoholism, severe depression, and anxiety which significantly impair his
Note from the Editor
We outgrew our old digs—in a good way—and have transitioned to the post-Pinterest web.
Inadvertent Disclosure of Privileged Information: Major Headache or Minor Hiccup?
You are going through the discovery materials that opposing counsel sent you when you come across a document that is marked “Privileged.” How do you handle this situation? What are your duties?
Return of Electronic Records to Client upon Termination of Representation [Proposed 2013 Formal Ethics Opinion 15]
This Proposed Opinion was adopted at the January 2014 State Bar Quarterly Meeting.
Representation of Parties to a Commercial Real Estate Loan Closing [Proposed 2013 Formal Ethics Opinion 14]
A lawyer generally may not represent both the borrower and the lender in a commercial real estate closing, even with consent.
Disbursement Against Funds Credited to Trust Account by ACH and EFT [Proposed 2013 Formal Ethics Opinion 13]
This Proposed Opinion was adopted at the January 2014 State Bar Quarterly Meeting.
Disclosure of Settlement Terms to Former Lawyer Asserting a Claim for Fee Division [Proposed 2013 Formal Ethics Opinion 12]
Absent client consent or applicability of one of the Rule 1.6(b) exceptions, a client’s lawyer is not permitted to disclose settlement information to the client’s previous attorney.
Providing Defendant with Discovery During Representation [Proposed 2013 Formal Ethics Opinion 2]
This Proposed Opinion was adopted at the January 2014 State Bar Quarterly Meeting.
Professional Responsibility & Legal Ethics
Participation in Online Group Legal Advertising Using Territorial Exclusivity [2013 Formal Ethics Opinion 10]
Participation in legal advertising services is permitted, as long as the service makes the appropriate disclosures “fully, accurately, and prominently.”
Professional Responsibility & Legal Ethics
Role of Lawyer for Public Interest Law Organization [2013 Formal Ethics Opinion 9]
Guidance for lawyers who are employed by a public interest law organization that provides legal and non-legal services to its clientele, and has a non-lawyer executive director.
Professional Responsibility & Legal Ethics
Release/Dismissal Agreement Offered by Prosecutor to Convicted Person [2013 Formal Ethics Opinion 1]
There is no per se ethical rule against a prosecutor agreeing to support a defendant’s motion for appropriate relief in exchange for a defendant executing a release of claims.
Professional Responsibility & Legal Ethics
Copying Represented Persons on Electronic Communications [2012 Formal Ethics Opinion 7]
“The prudent practice is for all counsel involved in a matter to establish at the outset a procedure for determining whether it is acceptable to ‘reply to all’ when a represented party is copied on an electronic communication.”
02.03.2014 Consent Order of Disbarment [Wake County]
In March of 2013, Cary attorney Mark Seifert was arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor. On February