Ethics Hotline & Opinions

ETHICS DOCKET NO. 1988-40

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MARYLAND STATE BAR ASSOCIATION, INC.

COMMITTEE ON ETHICS

ETHICS DOCKET NO. 1988-40

Attorneys: Propriety of Florida Legal Professional Association Maintaining an Office in Maryland


The Committee is unaware of anything improper or unethical about a Florida legal professional association maintaining an office in the State of Maryland, so long as the Maryland office is staffed by at least one attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Maryland, and so long as all legal matters handled in the Maryland office are handled by lawyers licensed to practice in the State of Maryland, as you have indicated.

We do invite your attention to subparagraph (b) of Rule 7.5 of the Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct which provides that ""a law firm with offices in more than one jurisdiction may use the same name in each jurisdiction, but identification of the lawyers in an office of the firm shall indicate the jurisdiction limitations on those not licensed to practice in the jurisdiction where the office is located.""


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DISCLAIMER: Opinions of the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) Ethics Committee are an uncompensated service of the MSBA. This Committee’s opinions are not binding on the Maryland Court of Appeals, Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission, MSBA or this Committee. The reader is advised that subsequent judicial opinions, revisions to the rules of professional conduct, and future opinions of this Committee may render the Opinions stated herein outdated. As such, the Committee’s opinions are advisory only and neither the Committee nor the MSBA assumes any liability whatsoever with respect thereto. Accordingly, reliance upon the opinions of this Committee is solely at the risk of the user.