ABA adopts Model Regulatory Objectives for the Provision of Legal Services – Professional Responsibility: A Contemporary Approach

ABA adopts Model Regulatory Objectives for the Provision of Legal Services – Professional Responsibility: A Contemporary Approach

by Renee Knake // Michigan State School of Law

At yesterday’s Midyear Meeting, the ABA House of Delegates adopted Resolution 105, Model Regulatory Objectives for the Provision of Legal Services. This resolution is a product of the ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Services. (Disclaimer, I am a Reporter for the Commission.) Coverage from the ABA is here, the ABA Journal is here, and the American Lawyer is here. For information on the purpose of regulatory objectives generally, see Professional Responsibility: A Contemporary Approach co-author Laurel Terry’s seminal workon this topic, and for more background on the development of the ABA Model Regulatory Objectives specifically, see the Commission’s Report.

Here is the resolution in full:

RESOLUTION
RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association adopts the ABA Model Regulatory Objectives for the Provision of Legal Services, dated February, 2016.
ABA Model Regulatory Objectives for the Provision of Legal Services
A. Protection of the public
B. Advancement of the administration of justice and the rule of law
C. Meaningful access to justice and information about the law, legal issues, and the civil and criminal justice systems
D. Transparency regarding the nature and scope of legal services to be provided, the credentials of those who provide them, and the availability of regulatory protections
E. Delivery of affordable and accessible legal services
F. Efficient, competent, and ethical delivery of legal services
G. Protection of privileged and confidential information
H. Independence of professional judgment
I. Accessible civil remedies for negligence and breach of other duties owed, and disciplinary sanctions for misconduct
J. Diversity and inclusion among legal services providers and freedom from discrimination for those receiving legal services and in the justice system
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association urges that each state’s highest court, and those of each territory and tribe, be guided by the ABA Model Regulatory Objectives for the Provision of Legal Services when they assess the court’s existing regulatory framework and any other regulations they may choose to develop concerning non-traditional legal service providers.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that nothing contained in this Resolution abrogates in any manner existing ABA policy prohibiting non lawyer ownership of law firms or the core values adopted by the House of Delegates in Resolution 10F, adopted on July 11, 2000.