#2006-07/02 Identification of Inactive Bar Membership Status

Ethics Committee Advisory Opinion #2006-07/02

By the NHBA Ethics Committee
October 2006

ABSTRACT:

An attorney who is admitted to practice law in New Hampshire should consider New Hampshire Rule of Professional Conduct 7.1 before identifying the lawyer on firm letterhead as admitted to the New Hampshire Bar but on inactive status.

ANNOTATIONS:

An attorney who is admitted to the New Hampshire Bar, but on inactive status, should not advertise their New Hampshire Bar Association membership even with the “inactive status” notation on their letterhead or website as such communication could mislead the public about their qualifications to practice law in New Hampshire, and may constitute a material misrepresentation under New Hampshire Rule of Professional Conduct 7.1.

A Note About Ethics Materials from the NH Bar Association Ethics Committee

Care should be exercised in determining which version of a given Rule applies as of a given date, and the extent to which the interpretation of a given opinion or article will apply to such version. Many interpretations of New Hampshire ethics law (including many ethics opinions, practical ethics articles, and ethics corner articles issued by the NHBA Ethics Committee) have been published under the prior version of the Rules of Professional Conduct or predecessor rules. Read more.

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NH Rules of Professional Conduct

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