Law Commons^™

Cracks In The Profession's Monopoly Armor, John Sahl

Akron Law Faculty Publications

This article examines the legal profession’s long-held monopoly in the nation’s legal services market in the context of two recent developments. The first development concerns the Conference of Chief Justices’ (CCJ) recent adoption of Resolution 15, “Encouraging Adoption of Rules Regarding Admission of Attorneys Who Are Dependents of Service Members.” Resolution 15 urges state bar authorities to develop and implement rules permitting admission without examination of lawyers who are military dependents. The CCJ’s rule promotes competition by facilitating the movement of lawyers from one geographic market to another.

The second development is Washington Supreme Court’s new Admission to Practice Rule …

Behind Closed Doors: Shedding Light On Lawyer Self-Regulation--What Lawyers Do When Nobody's Watching, John Sahl

Akron Law Faculty Publications

This Article examines the significance of Professor Fred C. Zacharias’s work, What Lawyers Do When Nobody’s Watching: Legal Advertising as a Case Study of the Impact of Underenforced Professional Rules. Following the Introduction, Part II of the Article summarizes Nobody’s Watching – an empirically based study of lawyers in California who advertised in the yellow pages of telephone books. Part II reviews Professor Zacharias’ findings and analysis concerning unenforced or underenforced ethics rules regulating lawyer advertising. Part III discusses the significance of Nobody’s Watching as an early empirical study of lawyer advertising in the field of professional responsibility and its …

Entertainment Law - The Specter Of Malpractice Claims And Disciplinary Actions, John Sahl

Akron Law Faculty Publications

There is significant risk today that lawyers will become the target of a disciplinary or legal malpractice action, especially given the complexity of the law and advances in technology that reduce the amount of time that lawyers have to reflect about client matters. This risk is heightened by the increased competition in the bar to deliver legal services in a cost-effective manner, the sophistication of clients who expect competent, efficient and reasonably priced services, and the litigious nature of consumers. The risk is further exacerbated by the ever-changing methods and rules for electronic communication and the storage of information. The …

A 2010 Update: What Every Entertainment Lawyer Needs To Know - How To Avoid Being The Target Of A Legal Malpractice Claim Or Disciplinary Action, John P. Sahl

Akron Law Faculty Publications

There is significant risk today that lawyers will become the target of a disciplinary or legal malpractice action, especially given the complexity of the law and advances in technology that reduce the amount of time that lawyers have to reflect about client matters. This risk is heightened by the increased competition in the bar to deliver legal services in a cost-effective manner, the sophistication of clients who expect competent, efficient and reasonably priced services, and the litigious nature of consumers. The risk is further exacerbated by the ever-changing methods and rules for electronic communication and the storage of information. The …

Foreword: The New Era- Quo Vadis?, John Sahl

Akron Law Faculty Publications

The Inaugural MBI Symposium’s twenty-six participants highlight many important developments and challenges caused by MJP and new technologies. Their assessments and suggestions provide a helpful roadmap for lawyers and regulators to negotiate the increasingly complex, fast-paced, and ethically risky landscape for delivering legal services. Several panelists suggested regulatory reforms that range from the creation of a regulatory framework for lawyers engaged in crossborder practice to the creation of standards for the supervision of offshore outsourced legal services268 and the mining of metadata. Some of the panelists’ suggestions and reforms are especially important given the “high [financial] stakes” involved in the …

Thinking About Leaving? The Ethics Of Departing One Firm For Another, John Sahl

Akron Law Faculty Publications

Lawyers today increasingly change jobs, suggesting to some that lawyer movement is becoming the norm. For example, one study reported that an average of 15 out of 100 associates annually depart a law firm. Today's mobility is in stark contrast to a half-century ago when lawyers might reasonably expect to remain with the same firm for their entire careers.

Occupational movement in the legal profession is likely to continue for several reasons. First, many law students graduate with substantial educational debt. As a result, some graduates accept jobs that are not their “real” first choice but that pay well with …

The Cost Of Humanitarian Assistance: Ethical Rules And The First Amendment, John P. Sahl

Akron Law Faculty Publications

For many Americans, the choice between affording legal assistance--a luxury item--and covering basic living expenses appears to represent a choice in name only. Most states prohibit lawyers from providing clients with financial assistance to cover these living expenses. In a few states, lawyers may help clients with living expenses by advancing or guaranteeing financial assistance. Given accurate information about the availability of legal services, poor people may find themselves able to protect important legal rights.

In Part I, this Article reviews the origins of and reasons for the ban on lawyer advancement of living expenses to clients when litigation is …