道德意见225
预付法律服务
澳门赌场官网事务所不违反任何职业行为准则，参与预付法律服务计划，根据该计划，第三方(1)向澳门赌场官网事务所支付向个人订户提供法律咨询的费用，(2)向潜在订户推销该服务, if 个人订户 consent to payment of 澳门赌场官网事务所's fees by the third-party after consultation.
The usual rules governing the attorney-client relationship are fully applicable to the firm's relationship with its clients, 个人订户, 包括, 例如, 勤勉热情地代表客户利益的责任, 不受任何第三方干扰, 保护客户的机密和秘密, and to avoid conflicting representations that will hamper adequate representation of the client. 除了, the interposition of the third-party 市场营销 agent for the service does not relieve 澳门赌场官网事务所 of its responsibilities under 规则7.避免对本计划所提供的服务作出任何虚假或误导性陈述.
适用的规则
- 规则1.3(勤奋与热情)
- 规则1.6(客户机密)
- 规则1.7(利益冲突)
- 规则1.8(e)(第三方支付的法律费用)
- 规则5.4(e)(干扰独立的专业判断)
- 规则5.5(非法执业)
- 规则7.1(关于澳门赌场官网服务的通讯)
调查
公司, 哪个组织出版双月通讯，内容涉及影响教会和神职人员的法律和税务发展，并为教会领袖举办继续教育研讨会, 提议提供一项新服务，根据这项新服务，用户将获得有关联邦税收问题的一般法律建议，涉及的事项包括:(1)预扣缴, 报告, 缴纳联邦所得税和社会保障税, (2)根据《澳门赌场官网》第107条免除部长的住房津贴, (3)根据法典第170条扣除对教会的捐款. A relatively small annual fee of approximately $100 would entitle the subscriber to make unlimited inquiries through the service.
公司 will market the service to potential subscribers and keep records of the subscribers, 但不会参与提供法律咨询. Each subscriber will sign a contract specifying the nature of the services available; the types of services that are not available; the relationships among 公司, 澳门赌场官网事务所, and the subscriber; disclosing that 澳门赌场官网事务所's fee will be paid by 公司; prohibiting 公司 from interfering with the attorney-client relationship between 澳门赌场官网事务所 and the subscriber; and seeking the subscriber's consent to payment of 澳门赌场官网事务所's fee by 公司.
Specifically, we are advised that the subscriber agreement will include the following paragraph:
Lawyer-client关系. 【澳门赌场官网】和【澳门赌场官方软件】同意，在本协议项下向【澳门赌场官方软件】提供的任何法律服务将由一名或多名持牌澳门赌场官网提供, 但并非[A公司]的雇员, and who are familiar with the topics concerning which [公司's publications] are available. 据此，[认购人]和[公司A]同意:
(a)当[订户]获得服务时, an attorney-client relationship will exist between the [subscriber] and the attorney or attorneys providing the services;
(b)[公司A]不得以任何方式干涉澳门赌场官网的专业判断独立性或第(A)段所述的澳门赌场官网-客户关系;
(c)未经【澳门赌场官方软件】事先同意，【澳门赌场官方软件】向向【澳门赌场官方软件】提供服务的任何澳门赌场官网披露的机密和秘密不得向【澳门赌场官网】或任何其他人披露;
(d) [A公司]及其任何负责人, 合作伙伴, 或者员工不承担任何损害赔偿的责任, 处罚, or interest in any way on the provision of erroneous information or advice under this Agreement; and
(e)已阅读并理解上述(a)至(d)段。, 【澳门赌场官方软件】同意【澳门赌场官网】向在本协议项下提供服务的澳门赌场官网或澳门赌场官网支付服务费.
订户合同被A公司接受后, the subscriber will be given a telephone number and account number to use in obtaining services under the agreement.
初学的, 哥伦比亚特区的一家澳门赌场官网事务所, proposes to contract with 公司 to make one or more of its experienced tax lawyers available to answer subscriber questions. 该公司的收费标准尚未确定. Individual subscribers would not pay 澳门赌场官网事务所 directly for any services rendered under the contract, 但A公司和该澳门赌场官网事务所承认，该澳门赌场官网事务所将向致电订户的个人提供法律意见，而该澳门赌场官网事务所的客户在每次情况下都是订户，而不是A公司.
合同范围以外的服务, 认购人将被建议聘请个人澳门赌场官网. The subscriber would be free to retain 澳门赌场官网事务所 on a "fee-for-service basis" or hire other counsel.
讨论
Nothing in the 规则 of Professional Responsibility purports to limit or discourage the use of innovative ways of providing basic legal services.1 正如委员会在解释《澳门赌场官方软件》时所解释的那样, “预付法律服务计划本身并没有什么不妥之处. 这方面的创新办法和新想法可能会使以前雇不起澳门赌场官网的个人获得必要的低成本法律服务. 这种更广泛的可用性是这个行业正在而且应该致力于实现的目标. 委员会鼓励发展提供法律服务的新办法, so long as those approaches conform to the general and accepted norms of ethical conduct designed to protect the public and the profession.意见No. 91 (1980).
规则1.8
由于A公司将向澳门赌场官网事务所支付合同项下的服务费，规则1.8 (e)要求客户(i.e., the individual subscriber) "consent[] after consultation."2 提案的核心是支付给a公司一笔相对较小的费用, 订阅者将享有有限的, 就某些类型的联邦税收问题提供一般法律建议. 如上所述, A公司与该服务订阅者之间的协议说明，根据该合约，澳门赌场官网事务所的服务费用将由A公司支付, explains the nature of the relationship that will exist between the subscriber and 澳门赌场官网事务所, provides assurance that 公司 will not interfere with the attorney-client relationship between the subscriber and the firm, 并要求认购人同意由A公司支付费用. 在这方面，我们认为规则1的要求.8(e)人对这些规定感到满意.
规则5.5
意见No. 182 .我们考虑了一种非常不同的建议，即既是咨询公司雇员又是澳门赌场官网事务所合伙人的澳门赌场官网为与咨询公司没有关系的澳门赌场官网事务所客户提供法律服务. 客户按标准费率向澳门赌场官网事务所支付费用, 澳门赌场官网事务所提出赔偿咨询公司雇佣的澳门赌场官网为澳门赌场官网事务所的客户服务所花费的时间. 在这种情况下，我们解释说:
当一个非专业组织销售时, 出租或出租澳门赌场官网的时间，以代表与非专业机构无关的客户从事法律业务，其收费预期将向该机构返还利润, 非专业组织从事未经授权的执业法律“业务”. 同样的, a law firm that would assist or participate in such a procedure would violate DR 3-101(A) by aiding in the unauthorized practice of the law.
第1号意见中的关键事实. 182 were that (1) employees of a lay consulting firm (2) were to provide legal services to a law firm's clients, (三)澳门赌场官网事务所应当向咨询公司支付费用的. 意见没有. 第94号法案的类似之处在于，它涉及一项建议，让受雇于某一行业协会总法律顾问办公室的澳门赌场官网向另一行业协会提供法律服务，并向澳门赌场官网的雇主支付费用. 我们核准了第10号意见. 94次求婚. 不赞成第1号意见中的建议. 然而，我们对第182号意见的结果表示异议. 94 on the ground that the entity to whom the in-house lawyer was to provide legal services was a related trade association.
与第2号意见所审议的两项建议相反. 182和94, the attorneys who will provide legal services to 公司's subscribers are not employees of 公司. A公司员工不参与为任何人提供法律服务. 因此, A公司收到的补偿完全是由于其努力建立, 市场营销, 管理服务, 而不是提供法律服务. 在这种情况下, 公司 cannot be said to be engaged in the practice of law through the activities of any of its employees.
规则7.1
公司A(而不是澳门赌场官网事务所)将为这项服务招揽潜在的订户. 尽管如此，规则7.关于澳门赌场官网服务的来文的第1条规定完全适用.3 法律咨询是提供给潜在用户的服务. Interposition of a 市场营销 agent does not diminish the lawyer's obligation to avoid false or misleading statements about his services. 相应的, 澳门赌场官网事务所 must satisfy itself that statements by 公司 concerning the service are not false or misleading within the meaning of 规则7.1. 特别是, 必须清楚地说明所提供服务的有限性和额外费用的可能性，以避免误导潜在的订户，使他们误以为所购买的是什么. Cf. 意见没有. 91 (1980).
其他规则
As the parties recognize, the individual subscriber and not 公司 will be 澳门赌场官网事务所's client. The lawyer's obligations to individual subscribers will include all of a lawyer's usual duties to his client 包括, 例如, (一)保守秘密和秘密的义务, 规则1.6, (2) to exercise independent professional judgment on behalf of the individual subscriber without interference from 公司 or anyone else, 规则1.8 (e)和5.4(c), and (3) to decline any representation that may conflict with the duty of loyalty or zealous representation of the individual subscriber, 规则1.7. 相应的, 根据上述规定, we find nothing in the 职业行为准则 that precludes a law firm's participation in offering the proposed service.
调查没有. 91-6-21
1992年1月
1. The Committee considered several prepaid legal services proposals under the Code of Professional Responsibility. 意见没有. 170 (1986); 意见没有. 155 (1985); 意见没有. 91 (1980); 意见没有. 30 (1977).
2. 规则1.8(e) provides that "A lawyer shall not accept compensation for representing a client from one other than the client unless: (1) the client consents after consultation; (2) there is no interference with the lawyer's independence of professional judgment or with the client-lawyer relationship; and information relating to representation of a client is protected as required by 规则1.6."
就《澳门赌场官方软件》而言, “‘同意’是指当事人非强制同意所建议的行动方案, 在就有关事项与澳门赌场官网协商后.术语[2]. 类似的, “‘咨询’或‘咨询’指的是合理充分的信息沟通，使客户能够认识到问题的重要性.术语[3].
3. 规则7.其有关部分如下:
(a) A lawyer shall not make a false or misleading communication about the lawyer or the lawyer's services. A communication is false or misleading if it: (1) Contains a material misrepresentation of fact of law, or omits a fact necessary to make the statement considered as a whole not materially misleading; or
(2) Contains an assertion about the lawyer or the lawyer's services that cannot be substantiated.
(b)澳门赌场官网不得寻求亲自接触, 或者通过中介, employment (or employment of a partner or associate) by a nonlawyer who has not sought the lawyer's advice regarding employment of a lawyer, if:
(1)征集涉及使用虚假或具有误导性的陈述或主张, 在(a)款的意义范围内;
(二)使用不当影响的;
(3) The potential client is apparently in a physical or mental condition which would make it unlikely that the potential client could exercise reasonable, 对选择澳门赌场官网的慎重判断;
(4) The solicitation involves use of an intermediary and the lawyer knows or could reasonably ascertain that such conduct violates the intermediary's contractual or other legal obligations; or
(5)该招揽涉及使用中介机构，而澳门赌场官网未采取一切合理步骤确保潜在客户被告知(a)该考虑, 如果有任何, 由澳门赌场官网支付或将支付给中介, (b)效果, 如果有任何, 支付给中介人的总费用中要收取的.
(c)澳门赌场官网不得故意协助向他人提供法律服务或支付法律服务费用的组织，以促进利用澳门赌场官网的服务或澳门赌场官网的合伙人或同事的服务, 或与该澳门赌场官网或其澳门赌场官网事务所有关联的任何其他澳门赌场官网, 作为一名私人医生, 如果促销活动涉及使用胁迫, 胁迫, 冲动, 恐吓, 威胁, 或无理取闹或骚扰行为."
