Ethics 101: Ethical Issues for Entertainment Lawyers

Every lawyer, whether transactional or litigation oriented, must resolve ethical issues on a regular basis. When such issues are raised, the lawyer may find himself or herself having to make a judgment call. Unfortunately, lawyers are not governed by one set of ethical rules.

If a lawyer is faced with an ethical dilemma while involved in a multi-state transaction, he or she must look to the ethical rules of the states involved as well as the state where he or she is licensed to practice law because a lawyer's conduct may be governed by more than one set of rules. Ethics 101 primarily focus on the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (the "Rules"), drafted by the American Bar Association, because most states have adopted the Rules.