Credit: MQ-Illustrations/Adobe StockState Bar Ethics Opinion Determines Texas Lawyers Can't Join a Firm With Non-Lawyer Partners
The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas found in an ethics opinion that a Texas lawyer practicing in Texas cannot join a Washington, D.C., firm with a non-lawyer partner, even if it is lawful in that jurisdiction.
February 07, 2025 at 03:07 PM
2 minute read
What You Need to Know
- The Professional Ethics Committee of the State Bar of Texas issued an opinion on the question of whether a Texas lawyer could join a Washington,D.C., partnership that includes a non-lawyer as a partner.
- The opinion found that Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct prohibits it.
- The Texas rule is intended to prevent solicitation by non-lawyers, to avoid encouraging non-lawyers to practice law, and to protect a lawyer's professional independence.
Texas-licensed lawyers practicing in Texas cannot join a firm with a non-lawyer partner or owner, even if that arrangement is allowed in that jurisdiction, a State Bar of Texas ethics committee found in a new opinion.
The opinion dealt with the question of whether a Texas lawyer practicing in Texas could join a Washington, D.C., firm partnership that lawfully in that jurisdiction includes a non-lawyer partner. As outlined in the statement of facts in the opinion, the firm would have offices in Texas and Washington, D.C., the Texas lawyer would office in Texas and provide legal services to clients in Texas, and revenue generated by the Texas lawyer would be shared with the firm's partners.
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