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David A. Lewis Law PLLC

Legal Ethics Counsel | Manhattan, NY

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Legal Ethics Lawyer: Counseling & Professional Responsibility Advice

Trusted Judgment for Navigating the Gray Areas of Legal Ethics Dilemmas

You Need Practical Real World Advice for Lawyers in New York

The practice of law can include daily navigation of ethical minefields. It’s a matter of fact about the profession, but it’s not always easy. By its nature, the life of a lawyer can be busy, stressful and fast-paced. With the attention demanded by your cases, it can be all too easy to overlook complicated legal ethics traps.
The continuation of your professional career depends on ethical conduct. You know it would be smart to get the right kind of help from a legal ethics lawyer. All those gray areas can be troubling and disturb your peace of mind. Having trusted advice for New York lawyers you can count on helps free you up to focus on your business.

Why David A. Lewis Law?

Career Preservation

David’s advice can help you defend your professional reputation, remove yourself from toxic employment situations, grow and defend your business, and maintain your legal career.

Unique Insight

Ethical dilemmas are a common part of daily legal practice, so an attorney like David, with years of practical experience and ethics committee participation, is a valuable ally.

Confidence & Clarity

The right decision isn’t always immediately apparent, but as a trusted advisor, David can help you strategically navigate the many ethical ambiguities in the practice of law. 

Terrific lawyer and person

 

 

Mr. Lewis has handled the New York legal ethics matter I had entrusted him with to my full satisfaction. He provided candid, effective advice throughout the course of representation. I greatly enjoyed working with him, and recommend Mr. Lewis’ services without reservation to attorneys (or those seeking to become attorneys) facing any legal ethics issue in New York.

An excellent lawyer who practices in the ethics and professional responsibility arena… He has very good judgment and excellent knowledge in the area.

A fine lawyer, with very good judgment and excellent knowledge in the legal ethics and professional responsibility field.

Exceptional judgment, deep experience. I trust him with the most important and sensitive matters.

Experienced lawyer with highly impressive credentials. Highest standards of integrity.

Recognized expert in his field of legal ethics and professional responsibility

Mr. Lewis was was recommended to me by a good attorney friend who had the unfortunate circumstance of requiring Mr. Lewis’ assistance in a long and expensive ethics related litigation. While I have never had a situation quite so dire, I do — with regularity — face situations where ethics guidance is necessary and there is just no substitute for Mr. Lewis’ sage counsel. I’ve relied on Mr. Lewis’ counsel on many occasions and plan to continue to do so for so long as I am in the practice of law.

Powerhouse ethics counsel and very thoughtful; my go-to source for the thorny questions that come up all the time.

David is a knowledgeable, dedicated, and effective attorney. Sensitive to the client’s needs in sometimes delicate matters. Will recommend him without hesitation.

Everyday Law Practice Is Filled With Legal Ethics Issues

I do — with regularity — face situations where ethics guidance is necessary and there is just no substitute for Mr. Lewis’ sage counsel. I’ve relied on Mr. Lewis’ counsel on many occasions.

Former ClientNew York Attorney

It’s Inherent To The Practice Of Law

There are plenty of legal situations where it’s not always obvious how to do the right thing. Sure you know the Rules and can read them for yourself. Applying them in the complex situations presented in daily practice while minimizing professional risk can be challenging without a legal ethics lawyer. Here’s a quick look at some of the more personal legal ethics issues you might be struggling with.

  • You might be worried about something to do with your past conduct or present situation. You need a trusted advisor with the highest degree of discretion to help guide you through and get you peace of mind.
  • Perhaps you’ve started to receive not-so-thinly-veiled threats from an adversary or former client. It’s weighing on your mind and keeping you up at night. You want advice for lawyers or representation from a legal ethics lawyer in New York to prevent the situation from escalating.
  • Maybe you have made mistakes where your professional conduct does not comport with the technical requirements of the Rules of Professional Conduct. You know that, and don’t need someone to tell you so. What you need is strategic advice on taking remedial measures and dealing with the real-world consequences at hand. You want to get back on track consistent with your obligations—and with the least amount of risk.
  • Maybe you work in a toxic environment and are worried about how to extricate yourself. You wonder: How do I leave my law firm and keep my hard earned business intact? An experienced legal ethics lawyer can help you formulate a law firm exit strategy and work to avoid any negative professional consequences. If you become aware of a law firm’s misconduct, you may wonder if you have any mandatory reporting obligations under New York Rule of Professional Conduct 8.3. You want to act consistent with your legal obligations and do what is best for your long-term career.
  • You may have an adversary who does not believe that the high road is the only road. That’s unfortunate—and all too common in New York and elsewhere. You need a lawyer’s ethics advice to help you navigate the situation.

Legal Ethics Counseling Is About Protecting Your Business

Mr. Lewis has handled the New York legal ethics matter I had entrusted him with to my full satisfaction. He provided candid, effective advice throughout. I greatly enjoyed working with him, and recommend his services without reservation.

Former ClientNew York Attorney

Invest To Defend Your Business, Reputation And Professional Standing

Reading the law is not enough. You need a legal ethics lawyer who will give you personalized legal advice about your situation. It can make a world of difference to get advice from someone who has successfully navigated similar circumstances in the past, especially in New York. Just reading the Rules won’t tell you how to minimize your risk and work to protect your hard-earned practice.

You Need Advice That is Specifically Tailored to Your Situation

A Trusted Advisor On Call to Help You Resolve Ethics Issues

Every New York attorney should have the comfort of a trusted legal ethics advisor. You don’t want someone to lecture you or read you the Rules of Professional Conduct. You need a legal ethics lawyer to collaborate with you and give you advice you can trust. You also want practical advice that you can live by—and run your business by. My background in New York Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility can help provide you with the peace of mind you are looking for.

Legal Ethics Counseling - Photo of stack of papers

Let’s Examine A Few Of The Kinds Of Legal Ethics Issues You Might Experience

That Could Suggest You Might Want a New York Ethics Attorney

Ethics issues come up in every imaginable scenario. Here are a few of the common types of legal ethics situations that attorneys experience prior to seeking a legal ethics lawyer. In no way is this intended to be a complete list. Rather, it’s intended to suggest the breadth of issues that you and your law firm could encounter.

Problem: A Difficult Interaction With Aggressive Adversaries Or Unhappy Clients

Perhaps you’ve received a letter threatening a grievance or another threat claiming that your conduct is unethical. You’ve been accused of violating a legal ethics rule, and don’t believe you did anything wrong. You have never been the subject of any professional discipline, but you’re scared and don’t know how to handle it.

Possible Solutions:

  • Get help from an independent legal ethics lawyer to help determine whether or not you actually did something wrong. Some situations are so sticky that you need experienced advice for lawyers in New York to sort through it all and confirm your initial instincts.
  • Not every ethics dispute needs to escalate into a formal complaint. Sometimes, engaging an advocate with a deep understanding of the nuances of the New York Rules of Professional Conduct can make a meaningful difference.
  • If needed, you can benefit from having a legal ethics lawyer respond on your behalf and proactively advocate on your behalf.
Problem: Leaving Your Legal Job and Creating An Ethical Law Firm Exit Plan

There are a variety of situations that could cause you to want to resign from a law firm.Sometimes, the firm is involved in questionable conduct or outright unethical activity. You want to leave and have clients come with you, but are worried about how to manage this without crossing any lines. Sometimes, it’s just time to leave for your own career and to build your own business. You want the freedom and flexibility that can come with starting your own law practice.

You might expect a “classy” reaction from your law firm to the news of your impending departure.Sometimes you will be unpleasantly surprised. Departures are fraught with potential misunderstandings and unhappy reactions that could’ve been prevented by investing in a consultation with an experienced legal ethics lawyer.

The worst situations involve a blowup and being immediately ejected from the firm.You must be prepared by knowing what ethics rules apply and your legal obligations. You don’t want your exit to be accompanied by nasty threats and improper client solicitation. You may need to defend yourself from an intimidating or hostile New York employer and therefore need to know where to go to get advice for lawyers based on extensive real world experience.

Possible Solutions:

  • Plan your exit in advance. We work together to create a strategic exit plan for you. You will want more than a cookie-cutter law firm departure or exit plan checklist. By planning ahead with a legal ethics lawyer, you can fully understand your obligations and the obligations of your soon-to-be former employer.
  • Anticipate the unexpected. Plan to leave—consistent with your obligations under the New York Rules of Professional Conduct.Together, we assess your situation, look at any unexpected or improper behavior by your former employer—and take prudent action.
  • Sometimes, the best help is to mitigate the hostility of the situation. Reading threats from your former firm without support is incredibly stressful. An lawyer who has successfully navigated a wide range of law firm departures can step in and serve as your first line of defense. For both partner law firm departures and associate law firm departures, it is critical to have your own legal ethics lawyer to act as an independent authority on what rules and obligations actually apply.
Problem: Conflicts Of Interest

Conflicts of interest can be especially complicated. Conflicts of Interest come in a myriad of forms, many of which require highly specific and thoughtful advice for lawyers.

  • A new hire may have potential conflicts of interest that—if imputed to the Firm—could cause real problems.
  • You may want to start providing a client with “law related” or “non-legal services” as a part of your business plan. You need a strategy to do that, mindful of the conflicts and related ethics issues involved.
  • You may need help from a legal ethics lawyer to navigate an unexpected current client or former client conflict of interest that gets “thrust-upon” you through no fault of your own.
  • You may be facing allegations that the Firm has dropped a client like a “hot potato” in an attempt to fairly resolve a conflict of interest. How you respond can be the difference between resolving the matter and facing a disqualification motion.

Possible Solutions:

  • An outside ethics attorney can help lead the process of navigating highly complex and tricky conflicts of interest. Usually, there is a lot at stake for all parties.
  • It can make a meaningful difference to work with a legal ethics lawyer who knows both the law and how other Firms have handled similar situations in New York.
  • Advice for lawyers seeking a waiver for a conflict of interest that must be confirmed in writing needs to be based on extensive experience with similar matters.
Problem: Legal Fee Disputes, Division of Fees and Fee-Sharing Issues

These types of disputes can be some of the most difficult. There are very specific rules that govern legal fees, division of fees and fee disputes. Too often these rules can be more honored in the breach than in the observance. I am well versed in these types of disputes as a legal ethics lawyer.

Usually, emotions are running high, and potentially a lot of money is at stake. Many times, a statutory charging lien pursuant to New York State Judiciary Law is involved. These situations require an adept ability to balance aggressive advocacy with people-and-relationship skills.

Possible Solutions:

  • With fee issues, you need to understand both your legal position and the practical likelihood of what might happen next.
  • It is especially important to have a counselor steeped in knowledge about what your specific obligations are. You need to understand how your obligations compare to that of your adversary, something with which a legal ethics lawyer can assist.
  • Usually everyone’s conduct is now under a microscope. More than ever you need advice for lawyers about how to be sure you are dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s in New York.
Problem: Law Firm Operations and Risk Management

Operating a law firm can come with great risk and great reward. The more successful your firm is, the more people are involved—adding exponential complexity and risk. Growth requires ever-increasing authority and responsibility on the part of others at your firm and ever-increasing law firm supervisory responsibilities on your part. It can be critical to protect your business by consulting a legal ethics lawyer and managing that risk with effective risk-management policies and procedures.

Possible Solutions:

  • It’s typical for law firms to implement a wide range of potential policies and procedures. These are generally included in a law firm “handbook.” Unfortunately, these policies and procedures are often hastily prepared and leave you open to risk.
  • Cookie-cutter forms are not tailored to your specific business. Not every law firm is the same, and not all risks always apply equally to all law firms. To protect against the potential risks that your specific law firm is most likely to encounter, you want something custom-crafted with the help of a legal ethics lawyer.
  • Information Technology (IT) risk management policies and procedures are critical and must be narrowly tailored to protect your business. Today’s ever-increasing use of technology facilitates the practice of law. It also increases and complicates potential risk. Now is the time to prepare and put law firm information technology best practices into place to protect your New York law practice with specific advice for lawyers.
Problem: Law Firm Marketing Campaigns and Attorney Advertising Rules

Your marketing and legal advertising can unexpectedly arouse intense evaluation. When your conduct comes into question in an unrelated dispute, where do people go to learn about you—your marketing and advertising. As a legal ethics lawyer, I understand how a glaring violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct can spiral into an unnecessary headache with New York’s Attorney Grievance Committee.

It would be nice if the only legal advertising rule was: be honest. Unfortunately, it is far more complex. How comfortable are you with an adversary, court, or Attorney Grievance Committee staff counsel reviewing all of your law firm website, marketing or legal advertising material?

Possible Solutions:

  • Of course, professional marketing departments usually hate all lawyer advertising rules and restrictions. I can work with you to balance your marketing plan, business goals, and compliance with the applicable New York Rules of Professional Conduct as your legal ethics lawyer.
  • Many times, a website has been up and running for a long time. It is still helpful to get a full website review and analysis for compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct.
  • Once social media comes into the picture, the potential risks escalate. Advice for lawyers by a qualified New York ethics attorney can mitigate those risks. Having a review and strategic plan for use of social media consistent with the appropriate standard can help make sure you are on the right side of the line..

Enlist a Legal Ethics Lawyer If You Are Dealing With a Complex and Unclear Ethics Question…

Let’s Talk About Your Situation And Create A Plan

You don’t have to be alone trying to figure out the right next steps. You also don’t have to spend your time traveling to see a Manhattan Ethics Attorney. We can also work together by phone to ensure that you quickly get the advice that you need.

Let’s Have A Conversation About Your Legal Ethics Issues

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Where To Next?

You may want to read the About page to learn more about my background as a New York legal ethics lawyer.