Table Of Content

Ethics and Professional Responsibility for Paralegals Editorial Advisors Deborah E. Bouchoux, Esq. Georgetown University Therese A. Cannon Executive Vice President Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities Katherine A. Currier Chair, Department of Paralegal and Legal Studies Elms College Susan M. Sullivan Director, Graduate Career Programs University of San Diego Laurel A. Vietzen Professor and Instructional Coordinator Elgin Community College A C S SPEN OLLEGE ERIES Ethics and Professional Responsibility for Paralegals Sixth Edition Therese A. Cannon Executive Vice President Western Association of Schools and Colleges Copyright #2011Therese A.Cannon. PublishedbyWolters Kluwer Law &Businessin NewYork. Wolters Kluwer Law&Business servescustomers worldwide withCCH, AspenPublishers, andKluwer LawInternational products. (www.wolterskluwerlb.com) Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans, electronic ormechanical, includingphotocopy, recording, orutilized byany information storageorretrieval system,withoutwritten permissionfromthepublisher.Forinformation about permissions or torequest permissions online, visitus at www.wolterskluwerlb.com, or awritten request may befaxed toourpermissions department at 212-771-0803. Tocontact Customer Service, e-mail [email protected], call1-800-234-1660, fax1-800-901-9075, or mail correspondence to: Wolters Kluwer Law&Business Attn:Order Department POBox 990 Frederick,MD 21705 Printedinthe UnitedStates of America. 123456 7890 ISBN 978-0-7355-9867-6 Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cannon, Therese A. Ethicsand professional responsibility forparalegals /Therese A.Cannon. — 6th ed. p.cm. Includesindex. ISBN 978-0-7355-9867-6 (perfectbound :alk. paper) 1. Legalassistants—United States. 2. Legal ethics—UnitedStates. I. Title. KF320.L4C37 2011 1740.30973—dc22 2011009400 About Wolters Kluwer Law & Business WoltersKluwerLaw&Businessisaleadingglobalproviderofintelligentinformation and digital solutions for legal and business professionals in key specialty areas, and respectededucationalresourcesforprofessorsandlawstudents.WoltersKluwerLaw& Business connects legal and business professionals as well as those in the education marketwithtimely,specializedauthoritativecontentandinformation-enabledsolutions tosupportsuccessthroughproductivity,accuracyandmobility. Servingcustomersworldwide,WoltersKluwerLaw&Businessproductsincludethose under the Aspen Publishers, CCH, Kluwer Law International, Loislaw, Best Case, ftwilliam.comandMediRegsfamilyofproducts. CCH products have been a trusted resource since 1913, and are highly regarded resourcesforlegal,securities,antitrustandtraderegulation,governmentcontracting, banking,pension,payroll,employmentandlabor,andhealthcarereimbursementand complianceprofessionals. 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Loislawisacomprehensiveonlinelegalresearchproductprovidinglegalcontenttolaw firmpractitionersofvariousspecializations.Loislawprovidesattorneyswiththeability to quickly and efficiently find the necessary legal information they need, when and wheretheyneedit,byfacilitatingaccesstoprimarylawaswellasstate-specificlaw, records,formsandtreatises. Best Case Solutions is the leading bankruptcy software product to the bankruptcy industry. It provides software and workflow tools to flawlessly streamline petition preparationandtheelectronicfilingprocess,whiletimelyincorporatingever-changing courtrequirements. ftwilliam.com offers employee benefits professionals the highest quality plan docu- ments (retirement, welfare and non-qualified) and government forms (5500/PBGC, 1099andIRS)softwareathighlycompetitiveprices. MediRegs products provide integrated health care compliance content and software solutionsforprofessionalsinhealthcare,highereducationandlifesciences,including professionalsinaccounting,lawandconsulting. Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, a division of Wolters Kluwer, is headquartered in NewYork.WoltersKluwerisamarket-leadingglobalinformationservicescompany focusedonprofessionals. This book is dedicated to my father Summary of Contents Contents xi Preface xxi 1. Regulation of Lawyers 1 2. Regulationof Paralegalsand EthicsGuidelinesfor Paralegals 15 3. Unauthorized Practice of Law 47 4. Confidentiality 119 5. Conflicts of Interest 171 6. Advertising and Solicitation 237 7. Fees and Client Funds 279 8. Competence 357 9. Special Issues in Advocacy 413 10. Professionalism 459 Appendices A. National Association of Legal Assistants Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility 477 B. National Federation of Paralegal Associations Model Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility 481 Glossary 487 Table of Cases 493 Index 497 ix