Note: These and other opinions are available on the NYSBA website at NYSBA.ORG/ETHICS. Opinion 1246 (11/16/2022) Topic: Partnership with non-U.S. lawyer; partner who is also a member of a firm with non-lawyer ownership or management; whether business management and strategy may be the practice of law; affiliation of law firms; co-naming of law firms; billing for … Continued

Symbiosis is a scientific term describing any relationship or interaction between two dissimilar organisms. One type of symbiosis is a mutually beneficial one when each organism benefits from the other (as opposed to a non-beneficial one when one organism lives off another at the other’s expense). There are many examples of mutually beneficial symbiotic relationships … Continued

The president of the New York State Bar Association recently appointed me to a special ethics subcommittee on escrow rules applicable to attorneys. The committee consists of the general counsels of a number of court disciplinary committees, judges and the president of the Bar Association. The issues to be addressed by the committee relate to … Continued

The story begins when a tenant rented a house in the Hamptons for the summer. At the time of entering into the lease with the landlord, the tenant paid $12,000 for the security deposit required under the lease.1 Failure To Return the Security Deposit At the end of the summer, the tenant requested the return … Continued