ABA Advises on Ethical Obligations When Attorneys Switch Firms

Attorneys are more mobile in their careers, and a new American Bar Association advisory opinion addresses obligations when a lawyer switches firms.

A departing lawyer and the firm should work together to meet ethical responsibilities to protect client interests during the transition, the Dec. 4 opinion by the ABA’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility said.

The opinion will help inform lawyers and their firms, particularly in Big Law, where it’s become more common over the last decade for attorneys to jump from one firm to another, and to bring their books of business with them.

Ethical obligations include ...