The Delaware State Bar Association

Ethics Opinions

The Committee on Professional Ethics is a Standing Committee of the Delaware State Bar Association. This Committee handles inquiries from Members of the Delaware Bar concerning their own prospective conduct, reviews and recommends proposed changes to the Delaware Rules of Professional Conduct and participates in the presentation of CLE seminars relating to legal ethics. In connection with these responsibilities, the Committee issues formal opinions on legal ethical issues, which are available below.

This Committee is separate from the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, and has no jurisdiction over past conduct of Delaware attorneys, disciplinary matters, and/or issues concerning the unauthorized practice of law.

Only a Member of the Delaware Bar with an ethical inquiry concerning his or her own prospective conduct may contact the Committee by sending an email to delethicsinquiries@dsba.org

A request for a Formal Opinion requires that the inquiring attorney complete a Request for LEO Form in PDF or Request for LEO Form in Microsoft Word which may be emailed to the delethicsinquiries@dsba.org email address.

The Committee has compiled an Index of Ethics Opinions from 1978-2007 to facilitate your research. In 2002 and 2005, no Ethics Opinions were issued. The Opinions of the Committee are listed here:

Please note the Ethics Opinions are in PDF format. To view the opinion you will need to use Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader go to www.adobe.com.

Additional analysis and/or commentary of the Rules of Professional Conduct are contained in the Ethically Speaking column in past publications of IN RE:, and summaries of those past articles are summarized annually in the January issues of IN RE: for the years 1998-2004. Other information concerning the application of the Rules of Professional Conduct is contained on the website for the Office of Disciplinary Counsel.