All opinions of the Committee on Professional Ethics are available online here. To locate a specific opinion or opinions, enter the opinion number or keyword in the appropriate search box below. Licensed attorneys may also call 877-953-5535 for access to opinions
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Canon:
Opinion #: 628
Cite: The Professional Ethics Committee For The State Bar of Texas
Date: May 2013
May a lawyer appear as “friend of the court” for a minor who is a party before an immigration court, provide factual background and legal argument to the court, and advise the minor as to the proceedings without acting as a lawyer for the minor?
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Canon:
Opinion #: 627
Cite: The Professional Ethics Commettee For The State Bar of Texas
Date: April 2013
Under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, what are the responsibilities of a law firm for preserving or disposing of files of a former client after the lawyer who represented the former client leaves the firm?
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Canon:
Opinion #: 626
Cite: The Professional Ethics Committee For The State Bar of Texas
Date: April 2013
Under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, may a lawyer, who had formerly represented a corporation in circumstances where the lawyer came to possess confidential proprietary information relating to the former client’s competitive position in its market, make a significant investment in a new business that will compete with the former client’s business?
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Canon:
Opinion #: 625
Cite: The Professional Ethics Committee For The State Bar of Texas
Date: February 2013
Is it permissible for a lawyer who replaces a client’s prior lawyer in a litigation matter to distribute funds resulting from settlement of the litigation matter without regard to a promise of payment, of which the second lawyer is aware, given to the client’s healthcare provider in a letter signed by the client’s prior lawyer?
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Canon:
Opinion #: 624
Cite: The Professional Ethics Committee For The State Bar of texas
Date: February 2013
Under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, may a lawyer representing a client in a misdemeanor case include in an engagement agreement with the client a provision in which the client gives advance authorization for the lawyer to enter a plea of “no contest” or “guilty” in the case?
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Canon:
Opinion #: 623
Cite: The Professional Ethics Committee For The State Bar of Texas
Date: February 2013
Under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, is a lawyer permitted to telephone a real estate agent’s client concerning possible legal employment after the real estate agent informs the lawyer that the client has requested the lawyer to call? Is this contact permitted if the real estate agent is included in a group of business acquaintances of the lawyer to whom the lawyer regularly provides entertainment and small holiday gifts that are consistent with customary community standards and that are not related to recommendation or employment of the lawyer?
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Canon:
Opinion #: 622
Cite: The Professional Ethics Committee For The State Bar of Texas
Date: January 2013
Under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, may a lawyer obtain information regarding a potential new client’s payment history from a database containing information supplied by other lawyers on the payment history of their clients, structure an engagement agreement to provide legal services to the potential client based upon such information, and thereafter provide to the database information regarding the new client’s payments to the lawyer?
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Canon:
Opinion #: 621
Cite: The Professional Ethics Committee For The State Bar of Texas
Date: October 2012
Do the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct permit a lawyer to cooperate with his client in paying the client’s former lawyer for serving as a witness in a civil proceeding?
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Canon:
Opinion #: 620
Cite: The Professional Ethics Committee For The State Bar of Texas
Date: October 2012
Under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, may a lawyer enter into an agreement with an agent who is acting on behalf of an owner of taxable real property in a property tax appraisal matter under the terms of which the lawyer is engaged to represent the owner in the matter and in the representation the lawyer complies with the requirements of section 42.30 of the Texas Property Tax Code?
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Canon:
Opinion #: 619
Cite: The Professional Ethics Committee For The State Bar of Texas
Date: June 2012
Do the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct permit a prosecutor to require and defense counsel to agree that documents the prosecutor produces to defense counsel may be shown to the defendant but that copies of the documents may not be given to the defendant?
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