IA · rules
Iowa R. Prof'l Conduct 32:6.3
Membership in legal services organization
A lawyer may serve as a director, officer, or member of a legal services organization, apart
from the law firm in which the lawyer practices, notwithstanding that the organization serves
persons having interests adverse to a client of the lawyer. The lawyer shall not knowingly
participate in a decision or action of the organization:
(a) if participating in the decision or action would be incompatible with the lawyer’s
obligations to a client under rule 32:1.7; or
(b) where the decision or action could have a material adverse effect on the representation
of a client of the organization whose interests are adverse to a client of the lawyer.
Comment
[1] Lawyers should be encouraged to support and participate in legal services organizations. A
lawyer who is an officer or a member of such an organization does not thereby have a client-lawyer
relationship with persons served by the organization. However, there is potential conflict between
the interests of such persons and the interests of the lawyer’s clients. If the possibility of such conflict
disqualified a lawyer from serving on the board of a legal services organization, the profession’s
involvement in such organizations would be severely curtailed.
[2] It may be necessary in appropriate cases to reassure a client of the organization that the
representation will not be affected by conflicting loyalties of a member of the board. Established,
written policies in this respect can enhance the credibility of such assurances.
History
[Court Order April 20, 2005, effective July 1, 2005]
Provenance
- Source
- www.legis.iowa.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-24
- Edition
- 2026-09-24
- Content hash
771474e1994ead26f12f34d2e7ce9180ebe5fbd8951bf687e0f541ad6033bcbc
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