Legal Ethics & Professional Conduct

• Agencies / Organizations
  • Wisconsin
    • State Bar of WI Lawyer Regulation
  • WI Judicial Commission
    Enforces standards of behavior for Wisconsin judges and court commissioners
    • Judicial Complaints
  • WI Office of Lawyer Regulation
  • National
    • ABA Center for Professional Responsibility
    • ABA Standing Committee Lawyers' Professional Liability
      Source of information on legal malpractice claim statistics and malpractice prevention information
      

• Complaints

• Wisconsin
  • Attorneys
    • Fees, Disputed
      • Fee Arbitration Rules (State Bar of WI)
        "Lawyer and clients who are unable to agree upon a fee charged for legal services may wish to consider submitting their dispute to the State Bar Committee on Resolution of Fee Disputes for binding arbitration."
    • Fees, Reimbursement
      • Wisconsin Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection (State Bar of WI)
        Fund which reimburses people who have lost money through dishonest conduct of WI attorneys. Learn about requirements for reimbursement & how to file a claim.
    • Grievances
      • Filing a Grievance Against a WI Lawyer (WI Office of Lawyer Regulation).
        Includes instructions, tips, and online form for filing a grievance.
        
        
  • Judges / Court Commissioners
    • Judges / Court Commissioners (WI Judicial Commission)
      The Commission "investigates possible misconduct and disability" of WI judges & court commissioners. Includes complaint form.
    • WI Supreme Court Rule (SCR) 75.06 "Complaints; Discipline"
      Addresses complaints regarding conduct of circuit court commissioners. Contact information for the chief judge may be found in the Circuit Court Administrative Districts directory.
    • Opinions
      • Case Summaries (WI State Public Defender)
        
        
• Federal
  • Attorneys
    • U.S. Dept. of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility
      Investigates allegations of misconduct involving Dept. attorneys in connection with their duties to investigate, litigate and provide legal advice.
  • Judges
    • Federal Judicial Conduct
    • U.S. Code: 28 USC 16 "Complaints Against Judges and Judicial Discipline"
      
      
• General Information
  • Directories
    • Directory of Lawyer Disciplinary Agencies (American Bar Association)
  • Reporting A Lawyer For Ethics Violations (Lawyers.com)
• What You Should Expect From a Lawyer (Nolo.com)
  If you are dissatisfied with your lawyer, find out whether your complaints are reasonable.
• What to Do When You're Mad at Your Lawyer (Nolo.com)
  
  
• Disciplinary Actions: Attorneys
  • WI Attorneys' Professional Discipline Compendium (WI Court System)
    Locate public & private reprimands and Supreme Court disciplinary decisions. Search by attorney name, area of practice, and disciplinary topic.
    
    
• Ethics
  • American Judicature Society: Judicial Ethics
  • American Legal Ethics Library
  • Ethical Endeavors (American Bar Association)
    Information to help you avoid professional responsibility problems.
  • EthicSearch: ABA Ethics Research Service
    Restricted to lawyers & other legal professionals.
  • LegalEthics.com
    
    
• Ethics Opinions
  • ABA Formal Ethics Opinions 1996- $
    Free summary; purchase full opinion online.
  • Ethics Opinions (State Bar of WI)
  • Judicial Conference Committee on Codes of Conduct Advisory Opinions
  • State Ethics Opinions, etc. (American Bar Association)
    
    
• Rules / Standards of Conduct
  • Wisconsin
    • Attorneys / Judges / Court Commissioners
      • Lawyer Regulation & Discipline (State Bar of WI)
        Rules governing lawyer conduct & related Supreme Court Rules.
      • WI Supreme Court Rules
        Includes: "Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys" (ch. 20), "Code of Judicial Ethics" (ch. 60), & " Code of Judicial Conduct" (ch. 60 Appendix).
      • WI Circuit Court Rules
    • Judges
      • Judicial Conduct Advisory Committee Opinions (WI Court System)
        Opinions on the propriety of contemplated or proposed judicial conduct.
      • Judges Officiating at a Wedding (WI Ethics Board)
      • Judges’ Receipt of Food, Drink, Favors, Services, etc. (WI Ethics Board)
      • Municipal Judges: Officials’ Receipt of Food, Drink, Favors, Services, etc. (WI Ethics Board)
        
        
  • Federal / States
    • Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges
    • Codes of Conduct for Judicial Employees
    • 7th Circuit Standards for Professional Conduct
    • State Rules of Professional Conduct, etc. (American Bar Association)
    
    
• Rules, Model
  • ABA Model Rules for Client Protection
  • ABA Model Rules for Judicial Disciplinary Enforcement
  • ABA Model Rules for Lawyer Disciplinary Enforcement
  • ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct
    

The Law (Additional statutes, regulations & opinions may apply to your specific situation.)

• WI Statutes: s. 757.81-757.99 Judicial Commission
• WI Admin. Code: JC 1-6 "Judicial Commission"
• Opinions
  • Case Summaries (WI State Public Defender)
• U.S. Code: 5 USC 7351 & 7353 "Gifts to Superiors" "Gifts to Federal Employees"

Search for more statutes, regulations & opinions.

Last Updated: March 2, 2010 | Up to Top