Ethics Department

The Ethics Department provides ethics advice to Arizona lawyers about their own future conduct, creates and presents various CLE seminars, and staffs the Ethics Advisory Group. The Ethics Department does not handle lawyer discipline. Attorney-client disputes and allegations of misconduct are resolved through the Lawyer Regulation Department.

The Ethics Department is staffed by Ethics Counsel, Legal Services Manager and two Administrative Assistants

Ethics Resources

Rules of Professional Conduct
Ethics Hotline
State Bar Ethics Committee - Ethics Opinions (You'll be redirected to our previous website. New ethics opinion search tool coming soon!)
Unauthorized Practice of Law Opinions

Arizona Supreme Court's Attorney Ethics Advisory Committee

The Arizona Supreme Court's Attorney Ethics Advisory Committee (AEAC), was created pursuant to Rule 42.1, Ariz. R. Sup. Ct., and Administrative Order No. 2018-110. The AEAC may issue opinions on lawyer ethics, professionalism and the unauthorized practice of law. Pursuant to Rule 42.1(h) proposed ethics opinions must be open for 90 days for public comment. After the public comment period ends, AEAC will consider all submitted comments.

To submit a comment on a proposed ethics opinion, please email AEAC at: aea@courts.gov

The following ethics opinions are currently open for public comment:

EO-19-0009 (This proposed opinion concerns client file-related obligations.)

EO-19-0004/0005/0007 (This proposed opinion concerns 1) sufficiency of ER 1.15(f) notice in the context of a disputed health care provider lien and 2) lawyer response to status requests from third-party claimants.)

EO-19-0006 (This proposed opinion supersedes State Bar of Arizona Ethics Opinion 09-01 and concerns a law firm's imposition of financial disincentives on departing lawyers.)

Comments must be submitted on or before June 8, 2020.