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New Task Force Aims to Reform California’s Technological Ethical Rules

1/15/19

By: Paige Pembrook
On December 5, 2018, the California State Bar Task Force on Access Through Innovation in Legal Services held its first meeting and started a long process to modernize ethical rules that currently inhibit lawyers from fully using innovative technologies and services from non-lawyer businesses. Under the Current Rules of Professional Conduct for California lawyers, attorneys risk professional discipline and malpractice liability when using services and software offered by non-lawyer technology businesses, even though those services and software offer significant potential to improve access to and delivery of legal services.
Earlier this year, the State Bar charged the Task Force with recommending rule modifications to allow collaboration and technological innovation in legal services, including use of artificial intelligence and online legal service delivery models. The Task Force is specifically tasked with scrutinizing existing rules and regulations concerning the unauthorized practice of law, lawyer advertising and solicitation, partnerships with non-lawyers, fee splitting, and referral compensation. The Task Force must submit its recommendations to the State Bar Board of Trustees before December 31, 2019.
As any effective rule changes remain years away, lawyers must be aware of and comply with the current rules that restrict lawyers seeking to collaborate with and use technology from non-lawyer businesses. The Rules of Professional Conduct are often implicated when lawyers collaborate with non-lawyer businesses offering technology-driven legal services and software. These rules include those premised on harm to clients that flows from incompetent legal service (Rule 1.1), non-lawyer ownership of law offices and the unauthorized practice of law (Rules 5.4 and 5.5), and the dissemination of biased and/or misleading information (Rules 7.1-7.3).
To the extent that lawyers violate any of the aforementioned rules by using technology-driven legal services and software offered by non-lawyer businesses, they may be subject to State Bar discipline.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Paige Pembrook at ppembrook@fmglaw.com.