Credit: lenetsnikolai/Adobe Stock ABA Opinion Clarifies What Intake Tasks Nonlawyers Can Handle
The formal opinion issued on Wednesday details which intake tasks nonlawyers can handle, but also clarifies which questions from prospective clients must be answered by a lawyer.
June 08, 2023 at 04:47 PM
5 minute read
A new formal opinion from the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Representation provides guidance on which client intake tasks nonlawyers, trained and supervised by lawyers, can do without engaging in the unauthorized practice of law.
The guidance in the opinion issued on Wednesday details a number of tasks nonlawyers can do when signing up a client, but specifies that nonlawyers may not answer certain questions from prospective clients such as which legal services the client should obtain from the lawyer, or provide an interpretation of the engagement agreement, or a negotiation of fees or expenses. A lawyer must answer those questions, according to Formal Opinion 506.
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