Off to a Good Start Part II: The Ethics Of Retainer Agreements

When good attorneys get sued for legal malpractice or embroiled in a disciplinary proceeding, the problem can usually be traced back to the decision to take on a client or legal matter, or a flaw in the terms of the retention. “Off to a Good Start,” led by attorney Daniel Abrams and designed to help the junior or intermediate lawyer, will explore the applicable law and ethics rules most relevant to client selection and retention.

In Part II of “Off to a Good Start,” Mr. Abrams will cover retainer agreements, including what should be in every agreement, defining the scope of a representation consistent with ethics rules, drafting fee provisions that are enforceable and pass ethical muster, securing appropriate waivers for common conflict of interest issues, and other provisions to consider. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Gain knowledge and skills to ethically attract good clients and avoid bad clients
2. Identify how to define the scope of a representation
3. Properly draft fee provisions
4. Understand how to enter into retainer agreements that identify and avoid common problems concerning the Ethics Rules

This course originally appeared as a part of our September 2016 Bridge the Gap Event.