Patricia King: Mentors Can Help New Lawyers Avoid Ethical Lapses
The results of the February bar exam were just released, and another wave of young lawyers will be sworn in very soon. Unfortunately, the job market and student loan debt will force many of them into solo practice if they cannot find other employment.
May 14, 2015 at 11:32 AM
6 minute read
The results of the February bar exam were just released, and another wave of young lawyers will be sworn in very soon. Unfortunately, the job market and student loan debt will force many of them into solo practice if they cannot find other employment. The idea of mandatory CLE has been tabled for now, and even the less intensive program of mandatory “boot camp” for new admittees has failed to gain any traction.
As a result, there will soon be another group of green lawyers in solo practice with the necessary credentials to represent clients but without the practical experience and supervision to do it without stumbling onto the numerous ethical land mines littering the field of practice.
During my tenure in the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel, these young attorneys populated the agendas of grievance committee hearings on a regular basis. Almost every one of them did the best they could, meant no harm to their clients, but were often clueless about basic skills such as how to organize an office, how to manage their IOLTA account, and how to work with difficult clients.
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