Committee on Professional and Judicial Ethics
Issues OPINION 2005-1
“Pro Bono Consumer Bankruptcy Representation”

Opinion 2005-1, the first ethics opinion published this year by the Association’s Committee on Professional and Judicial Ethics, examines pro bono representation of debtors in Chapter 7 bankruptcy filings. “The pro bono representation of an individual in connection with a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing, while simultaneously representing one or more of the individual’s creditors in unrelated matters, will not typically create a conflict of interest within the meaning of DR 5-105,” says the eight-page report, which also provides advice on conflicts of interest and when to limit the scope of the representation. Opinion 2005-1 may be read or downloaded at the Association’s Web site, ((www.nycbar.org)), or by hitting the following link:

http://((www.nycbar.org))/pdf/report/EthicsOpinion2005_1.pdf

About the Association

The Association of the Bar of the City of New York (((www.nycbar.org))) was founded in 1870, and since then has been dedicated to maintaining the high ethical standards of the profession, promoting reform of the law, and providing service to the profession and the public. The Association continues to work for political, legal and social reform, while implementing innovative means to help the disadvantaged. Protecting the public’s welfare remains one of the Association’s highest priorities.

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