The Ethics Hotline does not answer questions from the public, including questions about private legal matters or questions about attorney conduct in Pennsylvania. If you want to find a lawyer to discuss a private legal matter, consult the Attorney Placement Service. If you wish to file a complaint against a Pennsylvania attorney, contact the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. “Rules of ethics are rules of reason. They must be interpreted in terms of the purposes of legal representation and the law itself. The rules of procedure are as follows: partly mandatory and disciplinary, and partly constitutive and descriptive, since they define the professional role of the lawyer. Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct, Preambuble and Scope ¶ 14 (2021). Many “formal” statements (written by the entire Global Ethics Committee) are publicly available. Hundreds of other “informal” statements (written by a committee member on specific ethical issues) are also available to PBA members. After registering, use the link at the top of the page to access all ethical opinions (formal and informal). The Ethics Hotline is a service reserved for members of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. We invite non-Pennsylvania lawyers to join the PBA to use this service. The Committee responds to inquiries from PBA members regarding the impact of the provisions of the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct on the future conduct of the member.
The Committee does not deal with matters relating to the conduct of counsel, disciplinary matters, litigation or legal matters. Pennsylvania Ethics Handbook PBI PressLibrary has previous editions: see all. From the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Disciplinary Committee: Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct Here is the Code of Professional Conduct: In the Pennsylvania Regulations: 42 Pa.C.S. Code of Conduct Purchase the Pennsylvania Ethics Handbook from the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. To reach the Ethics Helpline, call 800-932-0311 or 717-238-6715. Ethical opinions are issued by the PBA`s Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee.
