Cleveland Law Library Weblog

Ohio Attorneys Will Soon Be Asked to Report Pro Bono Activities Again

Some time in early 2010, the Ohio Supreme Court will be sending Ohio attorneys a questionnaire soliciting information on their pro bono activities, including any financial contributions to legal services organizations. According to the Court's Press Release, the survey is the second that will be conducted since the Court encouraged pro bono activity in a 2007 Statement Regarding the Provision of Pro Bono Legal Services by Ohio Lawyers.

Ohio Supreme Court Adopts New Pro Hac Vice Rules, effective 1/1/2011

Effective 1/1/11 (not 1/1/10), the Ohio Supreme Court will significantly chang the rules for out-of-state lawyers who want to be admitted to practice for a limited purpose in an Ohio case. Under amendments to Rule XII of the Rules for the Governement of the Bar, all pro hac vice admissions will have to go through the Supreme Court's Office of Attorney Services starting in 2011. All applicants will also have to pay a $100 fee and sign an "acknowledgement of Ohio’s attorney disciplinary rules and a statement that the attorney has not appeared more than three times in a calendar year in a pro hac vice capacity." Click here for a link to the new Rules in Word format.

Ohio Supreme Court Suspends Less Than 1% of Ohio Attorneys

Most of Ohio's attorneys got their biennial registrations in on time this year. The Ohio Supreme Court only had to suspend 233 attorneys state-wide, which is less than 1% of the total attorneys registered in Ohio, i.e., 57,311. Click here for a list of those who failed to file on time and have thus been suspended. They can get reinstated by paying a hefty reinstatement fee of $300.

Women Still Under-representated as Law Firm Partners

A brand new study on law.com indicates that women lawyers are still way behind their male counter-parts when it comes to making partner. Although women graduate from law schools as often as men, only 19.2% of partners across the country are women. At the rate women are going, experts claim there will not be an equal number of male and female partners until 2086. The numbers reflect some industry trends that might be changed with more flex-time options and parental leave policies. The article also suggests that the recession has disproportionately hit women lawyers who were working part-time, thus throwing another curve ball at their hope for partner status.

Last Day for Attorneys to Register with Ohio Supreme Court

Today is the last day attorneys can register late with the Ohio Supreme Court. The Ohio Supreme Court has warned that it will suspend all attorneys who do not pay their $350 biennial registration plus a $50 late fee by today, November 2nd. Attorneys can register by mail or online by clicking the "biennial Attorney Registration" link on the right hand side of the Ohio Supreme Court's front page.

ABA Promoting National Pro Bono Week

We are now almost mid-way through the first national Pro Bono Week, which is being sponsored by the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service. The ABA's initiative is dedicated to finding more lawyers to provide pro bono legal services, and local entities like the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland have really stepped up the the plate. Check out the list of activities and events they and others throughout Ohio are sponsoring.

Indigent California Residents Now Have Right to an Attorney in Certain Civil Cases

California has become the first state to provide indigent residents with the right to an attorney in certain civil cases. The law which Governor Schwarzenegger signed is being called "civil Gideon" and provides a right to counsel in child custody, foreclosure and other matters. Click here to read an article discussing the pros and cons of the new law from the Wall Street Journal. This article indicates that the ABA endorsed "civil Gideon" laws back in 2006, but there is a newer article from the October 2009 issue of the ABA Journal which seems to confirm that. The program will be funded by increased filing fees that the state of California hopes will generate about $11 million dollars.

Check out newlawyer.com to Find Lawyers and Obtain Free Legal Advice

A new website, http://www.newlawyer.com/, has recently been launched that offers a free directory of lawyers and a new place to seek legal advice. According to newlawyer.com's account executive, 90% of the lawyers on call are willing to provide a free initial consultation, and the website will cover the cost of the remaining 10%. This service is an instantaneous opportunity to speak with a lawyer in any of the 50 states about an issue that needs immediate attention. Lawyers who participate in this program set aside time from their busy schedules to take calls from people who need help and sign in for free at the website. Right now, 10 Ohio lawyers are available to take calls through the website, but I have learned that 500 lawyers from each state will soon become available. People who do not wish to register can receive 5 minutes of a busy lawyer's time for free.

Don't Get Scammed by IOLTA Scam

According to the Ohio Supreme Court, lawyers are being targeted in the latest Internet email scam. Apparently, non-lawyers posing as lawyers are sending emails to real lawyers about alleged debtors who want to pay up. The phony debtors then follow-up with the real lawyers and send them bad checks that will bounce. Not knowing the checks are bad, the innocent attorneys are being asked to advance funds from their IOLTA accounts. Guess who is left holding the bag?  Click here to read the Ohio's Supreme Court's press release and advisory about this problem hitting our profession.

Cloud Computing Using Third Parties Is Risk for Lawyers

Cloud computing, or storing all of your work and client files online rather than on a local computer, has become the mantra of lawyers who want to ditch the cost of physical offices and telecommute from home. However, a recent op-ed from the New York Times discusses the risks of trusting your files and information to a third-party provider that might get hacked, subpoenaed or even hijacked by the vendor itself for more money. The article concludes with suggestions for securing the information to protect client confidentiality and ensure against inadvertent disclosure,