| Atty. Wick R Chambers, Chair -- New Haven
Phone: (203) 772-4400
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2006 - 2007 Annual Report
Meeting materials 9/19/07
Mission
Provides members of the bar with opinions on matters of professional ethics.
Written requests for opinions are referred to a committee member for
preparation of a draft opinion, which is then debated and considered for
adoption or rejection at the monthly meeting of the committee in New Haven.
Some opinions are referred to subcommittees for research, reconsideration and
revision. All of the committee members are therefore given an opportunity to
participate in the activities of the committee. The committee issues Formal and
Informal Opinions. The Formal Opinions are published in the Connecticut Bar
Journal and the ABA/BNA Lawyers Manual on Professional Conduct.
Informal Opinions are provided to the Yale, UConn and Quinnipiac Law Libraries
and are made available at the CBA office. Digests are published in the ABA/BNA
Manual. The CBA publishes annually the Professional Responsibility
Reference Guide, which includes updated Formal and Informal
Opinions rendered by the committee since adoption of the Rules of Professional
Conduct in Connecticut, October 1, 1986.
Summary of Adopted Changes to Rules
Request for Ethics opinion
The Committee on Professional Ethics receives and considers written requests for
advice about professional ethics and issues advisory opinions on professional
conduct. Generally, advice should be requested concerning one’s own future
conduct, not one’s own or someone else’s past conduct.
A request for a committee opinion should state specifically the facts giving
rise to the issue, state the issue upon which an opinion is requested, and
refer to any provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct which the writer
believes to be relevant. Requests are forwarded to a committee member to
prepare a draft response, which is considered by the committee members for
discussion, amendment and then issuance of an Informal Opinion. On occasion,
the committee will determine that a matter is of significant enough interest to
the bar that a Formal Opinion is called for, and will refer the matter to a
subcommittee to prepare a draft Formal Opinion for submission at a subsequent
meetings and referral to the CBA Board of Governors for comment.
The committee may determine that no action is warranted upon a request for
opinion (a) because the matter is in litigation and judicial action is the
appropriate recourse, (b) the issue involves the conduct of a person other than
the one requesting the opinion, or (c) the request is for an opinion of law
rather than ethics, or is speculative, or fails to meet the requisite standards
of clarity, or is otherwise inappropriate for committee action.
The Rules of Professional Conduct have the force of law on attorneys. The Formal
and Informal Opinions are advisory opinions. Although the Connecticut Supreme
Court has on occasion referred to them as well reasoned, the advisory opinions
are not authoritative and are not binding on the Statewide Grievance Committee
or the courts.
Formal and Informal Opinions are available to CBA members on Casemaker. The
Professional Responsibility Reference Guide (PRRG) contains Formal and Informal
Opinions and the Rules of Professional Conduct. The PRRG is available for sale
under "CLE & Publications" on this web site.
Requests for opinions should be addressed to:
Wick R. Chambers, Chair
Committee on Professional Ethics
Connecticut Bar Association
PO Box 350
New Britain, CT 06050
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