Lawyers can work remotely in jurisdictions where they’re not licensed as long as they only engage in law they’re authorized to practice, the American Bar Association said in an opinion addressing overnight changes in how attorneys conduct business due to constraints of the pandemic.
The ABA ethics committee opinion released on Wednesday eases Model Rule 5.5 that has long restricted where lawyers can practice. It’s a permanent change and acts as a guidepost to states looking to ease their own unauthorized practice rules amid the pandemic.
While it applies to all lawyers, the rule tends to affect those in bigger ...