Attorneys with vexing questions on the interpretation of their obligations regarding ethics or professional conduct can seek answers through the Bar’s Ethics Committee. The Committee regularly publishes opinions, either as responses to fact-specific inquiries or as more general discussions of issues through “Practical Ethics” opinions in Bar News. The complete library of past opinions, and a list of opinion titles, is published on the Bar’s Web site at http://www.nhbar.org/legal-links/ethics-opinions-practical-ethics-articles.asp.

The following is a series of commonly asked questions about the Ethics Committee:

How can I request an opinion from the Ethics Committee?

Requests for opinions should be in the form of a written hypothetical and sent to the attention of Denice DeStefano, staff liaison to the Ethics Committee, at ddestefano@nhbar.org or c/o NH Bar Association, 112 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301.  Members are encouraged to visit the Web site first to see if there is an opinion on point before requesting an opinion from the committee.

Is the index of opinions up-to-date on the web? 

Yes. The index includes titles of all opinions to date. including Practical Ethics Opinions. 

If an inquiry is made, when can a response be expected?

A response generally can take 2-3 months; sometimes less, sometimes more depending on the complexity of the issues involved.  The committee member assigned to draft an opinion may contact the inquiring attorney for more information if it would be helpful in drafting the opinion.  Once the Committee has voted on a final opinion and it has been presented to the Board of Governors, the inquiring attorney is sent a letter with a copy of the opinion responding to the inquiry.

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