OBLIC news, events and updates.

OBLIC Loss Prevention & Ethics HOTLINE provides complementary loss prevention information and resources for OBLIC policyholders. If your inquiry requires special expertise or legal advice about a specific matter in ethics, we can set up an ethics consult with outside ethics counsel. In addition to the Ethics Hotline, our Loss Prevention team produces weekly articles […]

In August, the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility issued Formal Opinion 508 on the Ethics of Witness Preparation. The Standing Committee suggests that a certain degree of witness preparation should be a standard in most areas of practice; however, there are ethical lines, some clearer than others, on how far […]

On October 6, 2023, the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct issued three new opinions. These nonbinding advisory opinions provide Ohio lawyers with answers to hypothetical or prospective questions from the bench and bar:  OPINION 2023-09 Opposing Counsel’s Preparation of Application to Settle a Minor’s Claim  OPINION 2023-10 Lawyer’s Obligation When Letter of Protection Issued to […]

This year, we’ve received questions about remote support staff based out-of-state or even internationally. Between staffing shortages, wage increases, and businesses’ interests in reducing overhead, some attorneys are looking abroad for staffing.   After reviewing our guidance below and considering your business’ needs, an ethics consult might be best used to review oversight policies, client disclosure […]

Proposed amendments to the Supreme Court Rules for the Government of the Bar and Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct would impact specialization for Ohio attorneys. Prof.Cond.R 7.4 now provides that a lawyer shall not state or imply that they are a specialist in a particular field of law unless the lawyer has been certified as […]

This week, we’ve synthesized some current legal news in the realm of artificial intelligence and machine learning to keep you up to date.   In a post earlier this year, we shared how Natural Language Processing applications like ChatGPT, Google’s Bard AI, and Meta’s LLaMa have advanced the ability of computer processing to generate human-like written […]

Handling closed client files is not a favorite topic for most lawyers. Depending on the type of case, at the conclusion of the representation the lawyer and the client may be ready to move on.   At OBLIC, we often get calls about closed client files. The Ohio Office of Disciplinary Counsel has an excellent brochure […]

As law firms continue to adapt to our post-COVID world, office sharing is in the mix of options. Whether a solo attorney looking to maximize an office location or a multi-location firm seeking to economize unused offices, there are ethical duties that apply. The ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility recently issued Formal […]

That pit in your stomach? The flushed feeling rushing over your face? Chances are if you’ve been in practice long enough, you’ve felt a similar sensation upon realizing the deadline is (oh no!) TODAY and not next Friday. But you caught it, and now you’ve got enough time to either meet the deadline (like filing […]

Estate Administrator Pitfalls  Analyzing trends over the previous five years, the broad practice area of estate planning, trust, and probate has become one of the top areas of practice for malpractice claims. Most errors fall into one of three categories: competence, conflicts, and clients. This week we’ll focus on a couple of issues involving substantive […]