RPC – NWSidebar

Oregon Lawyer Disciplined Over Rebuttals of Negative Online Reviews

An Oregon lawyer was recently suspended over the content of his responses to negative online reviews.

The Ethics of Working Remotely: 4 Relevant RPCs for Washington Legal Professionals

Pursuant to the governor’s orders, many are working remotely. Your ethics obligations remain the same. Here’s a rundown of the basics:

by NWSidebar

Lawyer as Witness: What the Court of Appeals Said About RPC 3.7

Mark Fucile explains the Supreme Court’s analysis of RPC 3.7. RPC 3.7(a), which generally prohibits a lawyer from acting “as advocate at a trial in which the lawyer is likely to be a necessary witness.”

by NWSidebar

New WSBA Advisory Opinion on Contacting Government Employees

The WSBA Committee on Professional Ethics recently released a new advisory opinion No. 201803 to address the contours of contacting government employees under Washington Rule of Professional Conduct 4.2. The rule generally prohibits communication with a person whom the contacting lawyer “knows to be represented by another lawyer in the matter[.]” Under Wright v. Group […]

by NWSidebar

New Marijuana-Related Amendments to Rules of Professional Conduct

After voters approved Initiative 502 in November 2012 permitting and regulating “recreational” marijuana, questions immediately arose regarding the extent to which lawyers could advise and assist clients in state-authorized marijuana businesses. Washington RPC 1.2(d), like its ABA Model Rule counterpart, generally permits lawyers to advise clients on the legality of proposed conduct but prohibits lawyers […]