BC Law clinical professor Paul Tremblay played a central role in the new Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers (BBO) treatise, Massachusetts Legal Ethics: Substance and Practice.
Tremblay, along with former BBO General Counsel Michael Fredrickson, took the lead in drafting the treatise, said Vincent J. Pisegna, chairman of the BBO, in a recent press release. “This will be a terrific resource for the bar, the public, litigants, and anyone interested in researching professional responsibility law and procedure in Massachusetts,” Pisegna said.
The treatise is comprehensive in scope, according to Pisegna, covering the history of the bar disciplinary process in Massachusetts, the grounds and types of discipline, what constitutes misconduct, factors in aggravation and mitigation, and typical sanctions. It explicates each of the rules of professional conduct, clarifying the relationship between attorney and client, conflicts of interest, safeguarding money, candor to a tribunal, the limits on zealous advocacy, advertising and soliciting, and law practice management.
“Perhaps more important, the treatise describes the full range of proceedings that the BBO conducts, detailing every step in the process from the initial complaint to argument before the Supreme Judicial Court,” Pisegna said. “It includes discussion of resignation and reinstatement. It also features practical tips and advice, and guides for lawyers for effective practice before the BBO.”
Massachusetts Legal Ethics: Substance and Practice can be accessed for free on the BBO website, www.massbbo.org.