Category: Ethics Opinions

Opinion 586

NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION Committee on Professional Ethics Opinion #586 -12/15/1987 (28-87) Campaign contributions, judges Topic: Judges, judicial candidates; campaign contributions Digest: Judge or candidate for judicial office may not contribute to any political organization but judicial candidate’s own committee; Judge should encourage family members not to make political contributions prohibited to judge, but … Continued

Opinion 584

NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION Committee on Professional Ethics Opinion #584  12/15/1987-(20-87) Dual representation, intermediaries, surrogate parenting contracts Topic: Dual representation; intermediaries; surrogate parenting contracts; Preparation of such contracts; conflict of interest; non-legal services in relation thereto Digest: Attorney may assist in preparation of surrogate parenting contract and provide non-legal consulting services in relation thereto, … Continued

Opinion 587

NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION Committee on Professional Ethics Opinion #587 -12/15/1987 (11-87) Conflict of interests Modifies NY State 165 (1970), 173 (1970) and 260 (1972)Topic: Public defender; Private clients; Appearance of impropriety Digest: Proper for a part-time public defender, contacted directly for private representation, to continue such representation even though application for public defender … Continued

Opinion 585

NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION Committee on Professional Ethics Opinion #585 – 12/15/1987 (24-87) Contributions by, judges, judicial candidates, political activity Topic: Judges; judicial candidates; campaign contributions Digest: Judge or candidate for judicial office may not contribute to any political organization but judicial candidate’s own committee. Therefore, judge may not belong to bar association whose … Continued

Opinion 583

NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION Committee on Professional Ethics Opinion #583 – 12/15/1987 (19-87) Conflict of interests, dual practice, office sharing, partnership, prosecutors Topic: Landlord-tenant relationship between assistant district attorney and assistant public defender; business relationship between assistant district attorney and spouse of a defense attorney Digest: Unless terms or circumstances of arrangement will or … Continued

Opinion 581

NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION Committee on Professional Ethics Opinion #581 – 05/04/1987 – (30-86) Judges, political activity Modifies NY State 289 (1973), NY State 558 (1984) Topic: Campaign guidelines for judicial candidates Digest: No restriction on the wearing of a robe by an incumbent judge in campaign material Code: Code of Judicial Conduct, Canon … Continued

Opinion 582

NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION Committee on Professional Ethics Opinion #582 – 05/04/1987 (13-87) Escrow funds Topic: Escrow Funds Digest: Attorney may not retain interest for period between date of deposit and date check clears paid on checks received on behalf of clients and deposited in escrow account Code: Canons 5 and 9; EC 2-17, … Continued

Opinion 580

NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION Committee on Professional Ethics Opinion #580 – 03/30/1987 (33-86) Bond counsel, conflict of interests Modified by N.Y. State 629 Topic: Conflict of interest; Municipal bond counsel; Simultaneous representations Digest: Municipal bond counsel may not simultaneously represent private clients in administrative or judicial proceedings against the municipality; different rule applies to … Continued

Opinion 579

NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION Committee on Professional Ethics Opinion #579 – 03/20/1987 – (37-86) Conflict of interests Topic: Representing opposing counsel in unrelated litigation Digest: Not improper to represent opposing counsel in unrelated litigation with consent, after full disclosure, of the clients of each in the litigation in which the counsel represent adverse parties, … Continued

Opinion 578

NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION Committee on Professional Ethics Opinion #578 – 12/04/1986 (24-86) Conflict of interests, lawyer, union member Overrules NY State 93 Modified by N.Y. State 629 Topic: Lawyer as union member; conflict of interest; lawyer union member representing State in disciplinary proceedings against other State union employee members Digest: Lawyer employed by … Continued