Ethics Advisory Opinions

OPINION NO. 09-01

MAIN OPINION:

Issued February 23, 2009

1. Issue: What are the ethical limits for the use of testimonials, dramatizations or fictionalized representations in lawyers’ advertising on television or web sites?

OPINION NO. 09-02

MAIN OPINION:

Issued August 11, 2009

The five issues addressed in this Opinion are based upon the following general scenario:

A lawyer represents many homeowner's associations (both condominium and PUD) in various matters, at various times. Many of these associations are nonprofit corporations and others are common law associations. They are all operated through elected volunteer owner representatives who are organized into boards of directors (although they sometimes use diferent names for the representatives such as the management committee or board of trustees). Many
of these boards hire professional managers, as they lack the experience, skils, and time to properly manage the associations. Some associations that the lawyer represents were referred through managers of the associations. Some of these managers work for management companies that manage many associations, thus providing an incentive for the lawyer to develop a good relationship with the manager to hopefully facilitate future referrals of other associations that the manager manages. It is also important for the lawyer to maintain a reasonably good relationship with the manager related to the lawyer's clients managed by that manager, because it is common in the industry for the manager to act as the point of contact with the attorney on legal matters involving an association. The lawyer does not represent or work directly for the manager or management companies.