Legal Ethics Coalition

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The Legal Ethics Coalition is a set of industry leaders from legal firms, legal practices, legal-focused service providers, and legal-focused technology providers who seek to put specificity into ABA’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct in the modern era.

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Changing the Legal Industry

Ethical Business Practices Must Be Implemented Intentionally

The Coalition seeks legal community members who proactively meet the below obligations for each pillar. The Coalition is sponsored by the service provider and technology firms who seek to drive one or more of the pillars. The Coalition believes firms and attorneys who fail to meet these obligations and opt for a legacy approach are failing to meet the spirit of the ABA’s model rules of professional conduct in the modern era and should reconsider their approach.

Financial Outcomes Pillar

Fair Billing Practices: Clients are not over-billed and receive clear, detailed invoices whether billed hourly, flat fee, or contingency based.
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‍Affordable Legal Services: Adoption of legal technology to drive down costs and provide affordable access to justice including intake, case management, client engagement, invoicing, etc.
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‍Financial Integrity: Offering loans and financial solutions that are in the client's best interest.

Client Treatment Pillar

Humane Interaction: Clients are treated with respect, and their feedback is actively collected throughout the life of the case, documented, and acted upon.

‍Self-Service Access: Clients deserve the human right of access and ownership over their case. Clients can easily access case information without needing to contact the law firm and can do so without being billed.

‍Transparency: Clear and honest communication about case progress and potential outcomes including timelines, issues, and more.

Marketing Practices Pillar

‍Truthful Advertising: Law firms support their claims of being the biggest or the best with verifiable evidence.

‍Honest Representation: No use of deceptive language or actors claiming to be real clients.

‍Responsible Claims: Marketing practices adhere to ethical standards, ensuring no misleading information.

Expertise & Referrals Pillar

‍Competent Representation: Ensuring clients receive the highest level of expertise or are referred to the appropriate attorney or co-counsel using highly vetted means, not driven by financial outcomes for the lawyer.

‍Continuous Learning: Attorneys engage in ongoing education to stay updated with the latest legal standards and practices, not just as required for licensure, but as necessary to best represent their clients.

‍Specialization: Matching clients with specialists who have the necessary expertise and experience without directing treatment or having conflicting incentives.

Communication & Data Privacy Pillar

‍Data Protection: Clients' personal information is handled with the utmost care and discretion, following robust data protection protocols including sensitive information outside of secure methods.

‍Secure Communication: Ensuring all communications are secure and maintained for at least seven years including client portal communication, text messages, phone call records, etc.

‍Privacy Compliance: Adherence to all relevant data protection regulations to safeguard client confidentiality at a level that is at least SOCII compliant.