OBLIC news, events and updates.

If you’re in private practice, you may have noticed new questions when you renewed your Ohio attorney registration last year. Amendments to Gov. Bar Rule VI, adopted in 2023, will be formally effective January 1, 2025. In part, these amendments require many attorneys to provide additional information to the Ohio Supreme Court at the time […]

This week we continue our discussion of the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct Section VII. Information about Legal Services by looking at Prof.Cond.R. 7.5 Firm Names and Letterhead. OBLIC’s Loss Prevention Hotline often gets questions on the topic of law firm names including use of trade names and use of a retired or deceased partner’s […]

Triplines, landmines, and trap doors? Advertising legal services may seem fraught with peril. This week, we’re neutralizing the hazard with 10 tips for effectively and ethically advertising legal services in Ohio: Start with the Rules: Familiarize yourself with the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct: Rules 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, and (new) Rule 7.4. These rules lay […]

This OBLIC Alert brings you three important developments for several areas of practice. CTA Updates from FinCEN Ohio Board of Professional Conduct Opinion 2024 -03 on Fee Agreements ABA Formal Opinion 510 on Avoiding Imputation of Conflicts of Interest CTA Updates from FinCEN On April 18, 2024, FinCEN updated its Beneficial Ownership Information Frequently Asked Questions […]

Just like Linda Ronstadt crooned, sometimes when they’re “No Good,” it’s time to end or avoid the relationship. If you’ve made that difficult decision, here are some best practices told through some of our favorite breakup songs to help guide you in declining and terminating representation of clients.   “You Oughta Know” whether representation is impermissible  […]

OBLIC continues to provide updated information and answer your questions on CTA. Beginning in December 2023, we informed that  the Corporate Transparency Act launches January 1, 2024, what it requires and guidance on some practice considerations. In our January 2024 OBLIC Alert- Your Hotline Questions: CTA, we looked at whether a law firm has to […]

Questions to the OBLIC Hotline frequently involve a lawyer’s duty to report. These inquiries generally ask whether there is a duty to report a:   Claim or potential claim  Disciplinary matter  Abuse   Let’s discuss each of these!   Duty to report a claim or potential claim    VI. Notice of Claim or Suit, or Potential Claims of […]

This week features two updates related to law firm management.  “Adult-choice” cannabis use and possession was passed by Ohio voters last November. The citizen-initiated statute went into effect late last year and the General Assembly has not modified it to date. The Division of Cannabis Control within the Ohio Department of Commerce has been tasked […]

The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), part of the Anti-Money Laundering Act provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021, took effect January 1, 2024. The CTA requires a non-exempt business entity (a “reporting company”) to report information on their “beneficial owners” (beneficial owner information – BOI) with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network “FinCEN.” Reporting deadlines to […]

In Sauter v. Integrity Cycles, L.L.C, 2024-Ohio-309, rendered on January 30, 2024, the 10th District Court of Appeals reversed the trial court’s decision granting summary judgment finding that the refiled complaint was time-barred under Ohio’s savings statute, R.C. 2305.19(A). The plaintiff in Sauter 41(a) dismissed the complaint on January 5, 2022, and refiled the complaint […]