Understanding Attorney Obligations under RPC 8.3, The New Rat Rule

The new Rule of Professional Conduct 8.3, that requires lawyers to report other lawyers for certain types of illegal conduct, has generated questions about when it is necessary to report conduct, what types of illegal conduct are required to be reported, and what types of conduct shouldn't be reported. This program will provide guidelines for the average practitioner and will also address reporting requirements when the conduct comes from lawyers within the same firm, pursuant to Rules 5.1 and 5.2. This knowledge is essential for anyone managing a law office, particularly since a violation can affect not only a lawyer involved in wrongdoing, but the lawyer or lawyers who could be disciplined for failing to report the errant lawyer.