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Category: Ethics Opinions

Ethics Opinion 1308: Former client conflicts of interest; imputation of conflicts to government agencies; material limitation conflicts of interest.

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Topic: Former client conflicts of interest; imputation of conflicts to government agencies; material limitation conflicts of interest. Digest: A lawyer employed by a government agency (the “Agency”) that represents individuals in Mental Hygiene Law proceedings is not automatically disqualified from representing an Article 10 respondent merely because the alleged victim of the respondent’s alleged underlying … Continued

Ethics Opinion 1305: Lawyer Acting Solely as Broker in Real Estate Transaction and Holding Funds for Transaction Expenses

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Topic: Lawyer Acting Solely as Broker in Real Estate Transaction and Holding Funds for Transaction Expenses Digest: A lawyer who receives funds from a client to cover expenses related to a real estate transaction in which the lawyer is not representing the client cannot hold those funds in an attorney trust account but may place … Continued

Ethics Opinion 1304: Non-Attorney Interference With the Independent Professional Judgment of a Lawyer; Sharing Client Information With Third Parties in a Non-Profit Organization

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Topic: Non-attorney Interference with the Independent Professional Judgment of a Lawyer; Sharing Client Information with Third Parties in a Non-Profit Organization Digest: A lawyer who works in a non-profit organization that performs research to be shared with the public, and that receives its funding from grants and donations, must not allow a non-attorney supervisor or … Continued

Ethics Opinion 1302: Provision of Integrated Legal, Tax, and Financial Planning Services

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Topic: Provision of integrated legal, tax, and financial planning services Digest: An attorney’s provision of integrated legal, tax, and financial planning services would, under Rule 5.7 of the New York Rules of Professional Conduct (the “Rules”), very likely result in all of such attorney’s services being subject to the Rules. In determining whether the Rules … Continued

Ethics Opinion 1301: Virtual law office; advertising a VLO as the lawyer’s office address

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  Topic:  Virtual law office; advertising a VLO as the lawyer’s office address Digest: A New York lawyer’s website, advertisements, letterhead, and business cards may designate and hold out a virtual law office (“VLO”) as the lawyer’s physical office address, even if the lawyer works primarily from home in New York.  As long as the … Continued

Ethics Opinion 1300: Imputation of Conflicts When the Relative of an Attorney in a Public Defender Office Is a Government Official

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Opinion 1300 (08/31/2026) Topic: Imputation of conflicts when the relative of an attorney in a public defender office is a government official Digest: If a public defender office is a government office (as opposed to a non-government public defender office), then a public defender’s conflict of interest arising under Rule 1.7(a)(2) based on personal interests … Continued

Ethics Opinion 1299: Reasonableness of a Fee for Time Spent Explaining Lawyer’s Invoices

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Committee on Professional Ethics Opinion 1299 (08/31/2026) Topic: Reasonableness of a Fee for Time Spent Explaining Lawyer’s Invoices Digest: If a lawyer’s bill is sufficiently detailed, a lawyer may charge the client for time spent explaining the lawyer’s bill, after putting the client on notice that the time will be billed, insofar as the explanation … Continued