Law Commons^™

The Billable Hours Derby: Empirical Data On The Problems And Pressure Point, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

This Article addresses the frustration with billable hours in large law firms. The Author gathered empirical data to gauge the short and long-term effects of increases in billable hour expectations. An empirical study was conducted in 1999-2000 of associate satisfaction, law firm culture, and billing practices. The Article compares these findings to a 2005 NALP study on billable hours and a Work-Life split. The Article concludes by considering what forces and players will change the current course of conduct in which law firm leaders treat increases in billable hours expectations as a necessary evil. The studies show the costs and …

Online Legal Document Providers And The Public Interest: Using A Certification Approach To Balance Access To Justice And Public Protection, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

No abstract provided.

Mandatory Legal Malpractice Insurance: Exposing Lawyers' Blind Spots, Susan S. Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

The legal landscape for lawyers’ professional liability in the United States is changing. In 2018, Idaho implemented a new rule requiring that lawyers carry legal malpractice insurance. The adoption of the Idaho rule was the first move in forty years by a state to require legal malpractice insurance since Oregon mandated lawyer participation in a malpractice insurance regime. Over the last two years, a few states have considered whether their jurisdictions should join Oregon and Idaho in requiring malpractice insurance for lawyers in private practice. To help inform the discussion, the article examines different positions taken in the debate on …

Law As A Profession: Examining The Role Of Accountability, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

No abstract provided.

Foreword: Legal Malpractice Is No Longer The Profession’S Dirty Little Secret, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

No abstract provided.

Foreword: Systematically Thinking About Law Firm Ethics: Conference On The Ethical Infrastructure And Culture Of Law Firms, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

In 1991 Professor Ted Schneyer wrote a seminal article calling for discipline of law firms. In that article, he used the term “ethical infrastructure” to refer to a law firm’s organization, policies, and operating procedures that cut across particular lawyers and tasks. In questioning how lawyer regulation focuses on the conduct of individual lawyers, he described the dynamics of practice and how various ethical breaches stem from organizational concerns that relate to lawyering in groups. Increasingly, legislators and regulators, as well as bar and firm leaders, have recognized the role of ethical infrastructure and culture in influencing lawyer conduct. Scholars, …

A Tort In Search Of A Remedy: Prying Open The Courthouse Doors For Legal Malpractice Victims, Susan S. Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

Using this broad connotation of justice, this Article questions whether many victims of legal malpractice are denied access to justice. In writing about the regulatory function of legal malpractice as a tort, Professor John Leubsdorf argues that legal malpractice relates to three important functions of the law of lawyering: “[D]elineating the duties of lawyers, creating appropriate incentives and disincentives for lawyers in their dealings with clients and others, and providing access to remedies for those injured by improper lawyer behavior.” Arguably, persons injured by lawyer misconduct are denied access to justice if our civil liability system does not provide them …

A Tort In Search Of A Remedy: Prying Open The Courthouse Doors For Legal Malpractice Victims, Susan S. Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

Using this broad connotation of justice, this Article questions whether many victims of legal malpractice are denied access to justice. In writing about the regulatory function of legal malpractice as a tort, Professor John Leubsdorf argues that legal malpractice relates to three important functions of the law of lawyering: “[D]elineating the duties of lawyers, creating appropriate incentives and disincentives for lawyers in their dealings with clients and others, and providing access to remedies for those injured by improper lawyer behavior.” Arguably, persons injured by lawyer misconduct are denied access to justice if our civil liability system does not provide them …

Designing And Improving A System Of Proactive Management-Based Regulation To Help Lawyers And Protect The Public, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

Increasingly, lawyers and decision-makers are recognizing the limitations and consequences of current approaches to attorney regulation. Inspired by developments in other countries, regulators in the United States and Canada have started the process of exploring innovative approaches, including proactive management-based regulation. The term, proactive-management regulation (PMBR), was first used by Professor Ted Schneyer to refer to a regulatory approach designed to promote ethical law practice by assisting lawyers with practice management.

The seed for PMBR was first planted in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW). It grew out of the legislation that allowed limited liability and non-lawyer ownership …

Attorneys' Malpractice Policies: Regulatory Exclusions And Public Policy, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

The courts have yet to decide the issue of the enforceability of provisions in legal malpractice insurance policies that specifically exclude from coverage claims made by government regulators such as the FDIC. The question has reached the courts with respect to such exclusionary provisions in directors' and officers' liability insurance policies, and here the courts are split. The author discusses the current case law and the statutory developments.

Foreword: Legal Malpractice Is No Longer The Profession's Dirty Little Secret, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

In 1994, Professor Manuel R. Ramos published a law review article called, Legal Malpractice: The Profession's Dirty Little Secret. As suggested by the title, Professor Ramos argued that legal malpractice was a "taboo subject" that has been "ignored by the legal profession, law schools, mandatory continuing legal education ("CLE") programs, and even by scholarly and lay publications." Thirty years later, legal malpractice is an ever-present threat that lawyers cannot afford to ignore.

Is It Educational Malpractice Not To Teach Comparative Legal Ethics?, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

This article addresses the importance of teaching legal ethics in law schools. After a brief introduction, this article outlines several reasons why it is necessary to have formal ethical training in law schools. The article then explains the different methods of teaching legal ethics that are utilized in the United States. The article also details why it is important and how to teaching comparative legal ethics in law schools due to increased globalization. The article concludes by identifying sources, such as the internet, for teaching comparative legal ethics.

Challenges And Guidance For Lawyering In A Global Society, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

This foreword provides an overview of some key aspects of law practice that have changed over the last thirty years. Advancements in technology that allow communication and interaction across borders have facilitated lawyers in globalizing their practice locality. Consequently, new issues regarding comparative ethics have arisen. This foreword suggests that ethics rules have not kept pace with the changing landscape of law practice and uses current standards for advanced waivers, rules relating to contracts with represented and unrepresented persons, and the proper use of ethics rules in civil litigation to illustrate this point. This foreword raises concern over the erosion …

Chicken Little Lives: The Anticipated And Actual Effect Of Sarbanes-Oxley On Corporate Lawyers' Conduct, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

This article addresses the controversy surrounding the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which was seen by many lawyers as threatening the relationship between lawyers and their corporate clients. Part I of this article introduces the topic by providing a brief history of the increased government regulation and enforcement actions that forced lawyers to reexamine their role in representing their clients, beginning with the case of SEC v. National Student Marketing Corp. Part II reviews the organized bar's reaction to Sarbanes-Oxley. Part III focuses on law firms' response to the legislation. Part IV considers the views of individual corporate and securities lawyers …

Systematically Thinking About Law Firm Ethics: Conference On The Ethical Infrastructure And Culture Of Law Firms, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

To advance the discourse related to law firm ethics and the impact of formal controls and informal influences on lawyer conduct, we convened on April 5, 2013 the Conference on the Ethical Infrastructure and Culture of Law Firms ("Conference" or "Symposium"). The Conference, conducted under the auspices of the Hofstra Law Review and the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University's Institute for the Study of Legal Ethics, was funded in part by the Abraham J. Gross '78 Conference and Lecture Fund at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. Experts who have studied issues …

I Don't Have Time To Be Ethical: Addressing The Effects Of Billable Hour Pressure, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

This article discusses the unintended consequences of the billable hour derby and suggests changes to address the deleterious effects of increasing billable hour requirements. A brief introduction identifies law firms’ recent tendency to increase the billable hour requirements to fund the heightened salaries of associates. This article analyzes the results from an empirical study focused on the effects of billable hour expectations and firm cultures. Part I generally reviews the study findings. Part II discusses the work and report of the ABA Commission, while Part III indentifies those issues and approaches that the ABA and firm managers should explore. Recognizing …

The Role Of Ethics Audits In Improving Management Systems And Practices: An Empirical Examination Of Management-Based Regulation Of Law Firms, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

For decades, legal malpractice experts have urged lawyers to implement risk management measures. To assist law firms in doing so, legal malpractice insurers have provided audit services and self-audit materials. Under the Australian regulatory regime, incorporated legal practices are required to complete a self-assessment process and to report on the firm's compliance with ten objectives of sound law practice. Using management-based principles, this Article discusses steps to take to encourage ethics audits "to merge good ethics and good business" in the U.S.

Preventing Legal Malpractice And Disciplinary Complaints: Ethics Audits As A Risk-Management Tool, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

This column examines the value of firm lawyers conducting and supporting ethics audits as an integral feature of a comprehensive risk-management program. For decades, legal malpractice experts have urged lawyers to implement systems, policies, and procedures related to the delivery of legal services. Once a firm adopts systems, policies, and procedures, a meaningful risk-management system requires a periodic examination to monitor lawyers’ compliance. Rather than waiting for a professional liability insurer to recommend or require such a systematic examination, proactive firm leaders and lawyers should seriously consider devoting time and resources to periodic ethics audits.

Legal Malpractice Insurance: Surviving The Perfect Storm, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

This article serves as a practical guide to legal malpractice insurance. Part I introduces the topic of legal malpractice insurance with a brief overview of the changes that occurred in market conditions in 2000 and the subsequent effect on insurance premiums and coverage. Part II outlines the different types of insurance coverage that are available to legal professionals by describing common policy terms, exclusions, and conditions that affect coverage. Part III describes changes in law firms that may affect coverage. Part IV provides legal professionals with useful advice to consider when choosing an insurance policy. Part V reveals important factors …

Ethics Counsel's Role In Combating The "Ostrich" Tendency, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

This article focuses on ethics problems related to hourly billing by analyzing the results of a survey of 1000 randomly selected associates in Texas firms who (1) had been licensed for ten or fewer years as of June 1999, and (2) worked in private law firms with more than ten attorneys (the Associate Survey). This article addresses the need for firm managers to clarify how and what their attorneys should bill. The article reports the results from the Associate Survey relating to billing guidance and ethics systems. From the empirical data, the article identifies a need for supervising attorneys to …

An Empirical Study Of Associate Satisfaction, Law Firm Culture, And The Effects Of Billable Hour Requirements - Part Two, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

This article considers billing practices, the effects of hourly billing pressure, and firm culture as reflected in a survey of associates in Texas law firms. Part I of this article reports the empirical information from the survey. This information includes insight into the toll an increase in billable hour requirements has taken on legal practitioners and the consequent affect on the legal field. Part II discusses what the data means and how it might be used to improve the outlook for attracting and retaining good associates.

Professional Responsibility And Liability Issues Related To Limited Liability Law Partnerships, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

This article surveys the professional responsibility and liability issues related to attorneys practicing in limited liability law firms. Part I of this article provides background information regarding the development of the limited liability partnership (LLP) and its popularity among legal professionals. Part II tackles the 1996 ethics opinion on LLPs rendered by the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility. This article criticizes the ABA opinion by examining the conclusions and reasoning articulated in the opinion, indentifying disciplinary rules that the opinion did not address, and considering the possible effects of the opinion. Part III focuses on …

High Drama And Hindsight: The Llp Shield Post-Anderson, Susan Saab Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

This article explores several disadvantages associated with limited liability partnerships (LLPs) in the wake of the Anderson-Enron debacle. The article explains how conversion to LLP from a traditional partnership may undercut the incentive for partners to devote time and resources to monitoring and risk management activities. Additionally, the article notes that conflicts may arise regarding the payment of debts when a firm, without sufficient malpractice insurance, converts to an LLP. The article delves into the exodus problem caused by the lack of partners’ commitment to the firm. The article also describes the tension between partners over malpractice insurance decisions that …

Fortifying A Law Firm's Ethical Infrastructure: Avoiding Legal Malpractice Claims Based On Conflicts Of Interest, Susan Saab Fortney, Jett Hanna

Susan S. Fortney

This article addresses the prevailing problem of malpractice claims based on conflicts of interest. Part I of this article introduces the topic by underscoring the seriousness of all conflicts of interest and recommending preventative action. Part II describes measures that law firms can take to detect and manage conflicts and analyzes the effect of the firm’s ability to avoid conflicts claims on a firm’s ethical infrastructure. Part III focuses on some of the most common conflicts situations that result in malpractice claims and sanctions. The discussion includes selected conflicts cases that illustrate problems and patterns. Part IV concludes by urging …

Assessing The Ethical Infrastructure Of Law Firms, Susan Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

No abstract provided.

Teaching Tomorrow’S Lawyers To Avoid Legal Malpractice, Susan Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

No abstract provided.

Leaks, Lies And The Moonlight: Associates’ Fiduciary Duties, Susan Fortney

Susan S. Fortney

No abstract provided.