A 2013 law that revamped criminal discovery in Texas has prompted the state’s lawyer ethics committee to rethink an opinion about prosecutors requiring criminal defense lawyers to sign agreements for discovery.
A 2012 opinion by the State Bar of Texas Professional Ethics Committee approved of a practice by prosecutors of opening their files only after criminal defense lawyers agreed not to share copies with others and not to seek court-ordered discovery. But the new Opinion No. 646 says the practice is now unethical because of the Michael Morton Act, which required prosecutors statewide to follow an open file policy.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
