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July 30, 2010
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Ethics Opinions Resources
Search Ethics Opinions

Search below by keyword, phrase or year for Formal Ethics Opinions issued from 1985 to the present. Most opinions older than 1995 are available as Adobe Acrobat .pdf Files. Reading these files requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Refer to .pdf file viewing help for more information.

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Ethical Rules and Related Opinions:

Click here to access a chronological index of the current Ethical Rules and their related opinions.

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Summaries of Recent Opinions

10-04: Fees; Division Of Fees Between Lawyers Not In The Same Firm; Out-Of-State Lawyers An Arizona lawyer may divide a fee with a lawyer admitted in another United States jurisdiction if the client consents to the arrangement in writing, each lawyer receiving any portion of the fee assumes joint responsibility for the representation, and the total fee is reasonable.  In addition to complying with these general rules regarding fee division, the out-of-state lawyer must be in good standing, admitted in a United States jurisdiction, and providing services to the Arizona client in association with a lawyer who is admitted to practice in Arizona and who actively participates in the matter.  The client must consent in writing to the fee division, acknowledge the out-of-state lawyer is not admitted in Arizona, and consent to the out-of-state lawyer's representation.  The out-of-state lawyer must either ensure that he or she is admitted pro hac vice in order to provide legal services that require pro hac vice admission or be eligible to provide temporary legal services in Arizona pursuant to ER 5.5.

10-03: Fees; Fee Agreement; Non-Refundable Fees; Flat Fees Provided that the overall fee is reasonable, it is ethically permissible to charge a minimum fee that may be designated "earned upon receipt" or "non-refundable" with the language required by ER 1.5(d), for a specified number of hours or through completion of the matter, whichever occurs first, and also to include a provision that, under certain reasonably defined changed circumstances, the lawyer reserves the right to charge the client on an hourly basis for the remainder of the matter.

10-02: Communication with Clients; Departing Lawyer; Law Firm's Obligations When a lawyer's employment with a firm is terminated, both the firm and the departing lawyer have ethical obligations to notify affected clients, avoid prejudice to those clients, and share information as necessary to facilitate continued representation and avoid conflicts.  These ethical obligations can best be satisfied through cooperation and planning for any departure.