News, Articles, and Practice Tips

Practical and Ethical Considerations of Debit and Credit Card Payments for Ohio Law Firms As law firms continue to streamline billing and improve collections, many have turned to electronic payments including credit cards, debit cards, and eChecks. While this shift can reduce accounts receivable and offer greater convenience to clients, topline pressure also has attorneys […]

The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct recently issued Opinion 2025-03 Alteration of Judicial Decisions and Entries by Court Staff. The Opinion examined whether a judge may encourage, condone, or ignore an internal court practice of administrative staff making unilateral changes to a decision, opinion, judgment entry, or journal entry after the judge has signed or […]

Popular culture and political pundits may offer reasons why our post-COVID world still seems chaotic. Whatever the reason, the reality is that attorneys are increasingly facing challenging client issues. Here are strategies for dealing with difficult clients.      Avoid getting involved with a difficult client in the first place! Avoiding difficult clients from the outset seems […]

Whether and how to use AI in the practice of law continues to be an emerging issue. Recognizing that this technology has potential for profound impact on the legal system and the practice of law, the Supreme Court of Ohio recently released its Artificial Intelligence Resource Library.    The Court provides this library to serve […]

The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released its third Formal Opinion of 2025: Formal Opinion 516, Terminating Client Representation Under MRPC 1.16(b)(1): What “Material Adverse Effects” Prevent Permissive Withdrawal? This opinion provides guidance on Model Rule 1.16(b)(1), which is parallel to Ohio’s Rule, on permissive withdrawal from representation. In particular, […]

Cybersecurity concerns remain high and attorneys insured by OBLIC can take proactive steps to protect themselves, their firms, and their clients.  Now is a great time to explore the trainings, articles, and sample policies offered through our website. Visit the Cyber Risk Management page and click the “Cyber Toolbox” button to access these invaluable resources. […]

OBLIC team members attended the ABA National Legal Malpractice Spring Conference in Charlotte, NC in early April. The conference kicked off with a session on legal professional liability risks on the horizon. With a panel representative of both professional liability carriers and private practitioners, the session identified claim trends and sought to anticipate and prepare […]

In early April, the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct issued its first two Advisory Opinions of the year. Last week’s article discussed Advisory Opinion 2025-1 regarding the confidential nature of uncertified grievance complaints and investigations. This article addresses Advisory Opinion 2025-2, Acquiring Mortgage Against Client’s Real Property to Secure Legal Fee.  Advisory Opinion 2025-2 reviews […]

The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct issued its first advisory opinions of the year in early April: 2025-1 and 2025-2. This article discusses 2025-1 and next week’s article discusses 2025-2. Advisory Opinion 2025-1 re-examines the question of whether an attorney can disclose in an affidavit for disqualification the existence of a disciplinary grievance filed against […]

On March 5, 2025, the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility issued Formal Opinion 515 A Lawyer’s Discretion to Report When a Client Commits a Crime Against the Lawyer or Against Someone Associated with, or Related to, the Lawyer. This Opinion presented four hypothetical situations where a lawyer is a victim of a […]