Ethics News
Correctly addressing colleagues is an ethical obligation
Using a chatbot to provide legal services can get you in more trouble than the Lost in Space crew
When solicitors deliver great results and unlikely victories for clients, the temptation to share that good news is powerful - and with social media a ubiquitous part of our lives, succumbing to that temptation has never been easier.
The QLS Ethics Centre invites submissions with respect to the review of the ASCR by 31 May 2018.
Solicitors store all manner of documents for clients, and have an obvious obligation to keep those documents sufficiently safe - but what will be considered safe enough?
Is it Ethical for a Solicitor to pay ransom to unlock data?
It doesn’t take a computer hacker or virus to violate client confidentiality - it can be done in the simplest of ways.
Learning from our mistakes is good, but learning from someone else’s is a lot less stressful.
You work hard – how to negotiate some security over your fees?
To be honest and courteous in all of our dealings in the course of legal practice is a fundamental ethical duty.
Free work for friends can cost more than you think - some tips to avoid empathy-induced ethical conflict.
Due to recent email based cyber attacks, the QLS Ethics Centre recommends that caution should be exercised by solicitors in the manner in which they receive instructions for the transfer of trust monies that may be received by email.
The QLS Ethics Centre first response checklist has been designed to provide invaluable assistance if you suffer a cyberattack.
A rose by any other name may be as sweet, but the titles used by lawyers have specific meanings, and using the wrong one can get you into trouble. This handy table outlines to practitioners what they can call themselves, and what documents they can sign or witness.
Electronic delivery of bills - Legislative change
There is no such thing as a graduate solicitor or graduate lawyer, and giving such titles to unadmitted law graduates can create significant issues for law firms, including potential disciplinary action and/or accusations of misleading and deceptive conduct. This note explains how to avoid these issues and ensure that firms use the correct nomenclature for their graduate employees.
Successful ransomware attacks on Queensland law firms are on the increase. Many firms can be hacked in minutes due to simple mistakes by computer users. This note identifies the issue and the desirability for education.
Solicitors are urged to keep in mind that in Queensland Courts, the recording devices in the courtroom are always active, unless turned off by order of the Judge or magistrate even during breaks in proceedings or after the court has been closed.
The QLS Ethics Centre has published guidance on the management of the issues resulting in the damage, destruction or loss of client documents or property by flood or extreme weather conditions.
One of the pillars of the solicitor-client relationship is the solicitor’s duty of confidentiality-a duty which is increasingly onerous in the face of the challenges of the digital world.
End of year parties can leave a lot of mess to clear up. Unfortunately, this may include solicitors charged with criminal and traffic offences arising from festive celebrations.
The key to a good outcome for both the client and solicitor is a retainer agreement that is clear, precise and provides an accurate estimation of costs right from the beginning.
This is Part 3 in the series on Project Management in Legal Practice - Project management of legal matters is becoming more common in the increasingly competitive legal market.
This is Part 1 in the series on Project Management in Legal Practice - Project management of legal matters is becoming more common in the increasingly competitive legal market.
File Management Essentials – Part 1
The Registrar of Titles has recently announced updated guidelines for the verification of identity ‘VOI’ of mortgagors. The intention is to bring the VOI of mortgagors in paper transactions into line with the obligations of financial institutions and other subscribers who undertake land titling transactions electronically under the Queensland Participation Rules developed pursuant to the Electronic Conveyancing National Law (Queensland) Act 2013.
A solicitor has a right to have a barrister’s bill assessed within a period of 60 days. If the solicitor passes up this opportunity and the client subsequently obtains a reduction in its liability to the solicitor for the barrister’s fees, the solicitor may be left solely responsible to pay the barrister the amount of the reduction.
The Society’s trust account auditors have noted that a common oversight by law firms concerns their obligations when acting as the solicitor for the seller or the buyer in a contract of sale and also acting as the stakeholder pursuant to that contract.
Supervision is a challenge for all of us but is a key tool for effective law management.
A solicitor is a fiduciary. Subject to our duty to the Court and the administration of justice, we must serve the best interests of our client.
Babcock & Brown DIF III Global v Babcock & Brown Int'l Pty Ltd [2015] VSC 453
Babcock & Brown DIF III Global v Babcock & Brown Int'l Pty Ltd [2015] VSC 453
A recent decision of the New South Wales Supreme Court in FAL Management Group Pty Ltd v Denham Constructions Pty Ltd1 has reinforced the long established rule that unilateral communication with the Court is unacceptable.
The Legal Profession Uniform Law (Uniform Law), which has created a uniform system of legal professional regulation for Victoria and New South Wales, takes effect from today, 1 July.
The Legal Profession Act 2007 (the Act) sets out the requirements for costs disclosure by a solicitor to clients. Disclosure is not required for "sophisticated clients".
Why should we care about an agreement signed between an English King and fractious nobles 800 years ago?
The Legal Profession Act 2007 (the Act) sets out the requirements for costs disclosure by a solicitor to clients. Disclosure is not required for "sophisticated clients".
The Queensland Handbook for Practitioners on Legal Capacity was launched yesterday, 19 May, at Allens by Supreme Court judge, the Honourable Justice Ann Lyons.
Queensland Law Society is pleased to release QLS Guidance Statement No.2 – Ongoing Costs Disclosure. Developed for the profession, QLS Guidance Statements set out our position on a particular subject, and set out a statement of a solicitor’s responsibilities in that subject area.
Whether a solicitor or law practice can use a client’s contact details to provide a client with advertising or promotional material will depend on whether the client has consented to receipt of such information.
No. It has come to the Society’s attention that solicitors holding restricted practising certificates (i.e. entitled to engage only in supervised legal practice) are being asked to enter into contracts for services instead of employment agreements.
No. In Queensland, the solicitors’ branch of the profession is governed by the Australian Solicitors Conduct Rules 2012 (ASCR) which does not include provision for the cab-rank rule. Solicitors are free to accept or reject matters without consideration as to the constraints of the rule.
The authorities suggest that it is not necessary for a solicitor to have rendered a bill of costs prior to the transfer of funds from the firm’s trust account to a general account for professional costs. However, it is necessary that solicitors ensure that the authority given in the costs agreement is in fact wide enough to permit such a transfer.
Inadvertent disclosure occurs where we receive material which we know or reasonably suspect to be confidential and we are aware that the material has been disclosed inadvertently.
The Ethics Committee of the Queensland Law Society recommends that lay associates in Queensland who are admitted in an overseas jurisdiction may be held out under one of the following titles as appropriate to their seniority and experience.
Queensland Law Society will use its annual Symposium to look into the future of legal practice.
The QLS Ethics Centre has refreshed and changed its website. We believe the improved navigation will make it easier for you to find the resources you need in practice.
The cliché (or perhaps aphorism) that a lawyer acting for themselves has a fool for a client is based on longstanding experience.
Read ‘A True Profession’, the inspiring speech delivered by High Court Justice Patrick Keane to the Queensland Law Society’s Legal Profession Dinner on 20 February.
