Legal Ethics

Countdown to the New Rules of Professional Responsibility

By Patrick Kearns 

We’re almost there! For regular readers of Ethics in Brief, or for that matter anyone who follows legal ethics in some manner, you’re seeing a lot of articles and information about our new rules of professional conduct. On November 1, 2018, these new rules will go into effect and replace, supplement, and in some instances change our existing rules entirely. Read More

Legal Ethics / Wisdom

Demand Letters: Where Do You Draw the Line?

By David Carr

There is probably no bad time to discuss the ethics of extortionate demand letters, but this time may be better than most. These ethics may seem a little paradoxical, much like the crime of extortion itself – how can I be criminally liable for threatening to do something that is perfectly legal for me to do? But a close reading of authority shows that lines can be drawn that an attorney should not cross. Read More

Law Practice Management

Building Your Contacts and Referrals with the Lawyer Referral & Information Service

By Alex Kannan

Starting out on our own can be challenging. Building your contacts, referral sources, and eventual client base will take time. As a solo practitioner, you always have to be willing to adapt to any given situation and be willing to re-brand yourself given the changes in the law, in your firm and in your personal life. The SDCBA’s Lawyer Referral Information Service (LRIS) is a wonderful resource for both new and experienced attorneys who are out on their own. LRIS offers a panel where attorneys can apply to receive cases based on their respective areas of law in which they practice. Read More