Ethics opinions are issued by the PBA Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee.
The committee responds to requests from any PBA member concerning the impact of the provisions of the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct upon the member’s prospective conduct. The committee does not address questions about a lawyer’s past conduct, disciplinary matters, matters in litigation or questions of law.
Many “formal” opinions (written by the full committee on global ethics issues) are available to search by the public. For PBA members, hundreds of additional “informal” opinions (written by a member of the committee on specific ethics issues) are also available to search. After logging in, use the link at the top of the page to access all (both formal and informal) ethics opinions.
Contact Information
To reach the Ethics Hotline, call 800-932-0311 or 717-238-6715.
The Ethics Hotline is a service for Pennsylvania Bar Association members only. We welcome Pennsylvania lawyers who are not members to join the PBA in order to use this service.
The Ethics Hotline will not respond to questions from the general public, including questions regarding private legal matters or questions regarding the conduct of Pennsylvania lawyers. If you wish to find a lawyer to discuss a private legal matter, check the Lawyer Referral Service. If you wish to file a complaint against a Pennsylvania lawyer, contact the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Additional Resources
Read The Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct.
Purchase the Pennsylvania Ethics Handbook from the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.