California Supreme Court Approves Major Revisions to Ethics Rules

The California Supreme Court yesterday approved a significant overhaul of California’s legal ethics rules, moving California’s rules closer to the structure of the ABA’s Model Rules for the first time. The Court’s Order approved 27 rules as submitted last year by the State Bar’s Commission for the Revision of the Rules of Professional Conduct, 42 rules as revised by the Court, and denied approval of one proposed rule (regarding a lawyer’s obligations representing a client with diminished capacity). The revised rules, effective November 1, 2018, change the numbering and format of California’s rules.  Substantively, the revised rules relate to personal relationships with clients, conflicts imputed through a law firm, attorney advertising, and attorney’s fees, and represent a years-long effort to simplify and to update the rules that govern California lawyers.