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This article is one of a series of articles by Professor Laurel Terry regarding the topic of MDPs of multidisciplinary partnerships. In February 2002, the European Court of Justice issued its opinion in Wouters v. NOVA (Case C-309/99), which addressed a Netherlands Bar rule that prohibited multidisciplinary partnerships (MDPs) between lawyers and accountants.  Wouters decided: 1) that the bar was an “undertaking” that was subject to the competition (antitrust) provision in the EU Treaty; 2) that the Dutch MDP ban restricted competition and that this restriction on competition was appreciable and affected intra-community trade; 3) that the Dutch MDP …

Appendix 2 to Gary Munneke and Ann McNaughton's book about MDPs was the "Issue Checklist" that Professor Laurel Terry prepared for the ABA Commission on Multidisciplinary Practice (the ABA MDP Commission). This checklist identified the issues that Professor Terry believed the Commission should consider as it evaluated whether to amend ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 5.4 to permit MDPs.

Although this Issue Checklist was prepared in 1999, many of the issues it identifies remain relevant when considering issues related to alternative business structures (ABS) and alternative law practice structures (ALPS). It is relevant to the work of groups such …