WI · rules
SCR 20:6.3
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 would be incompatible with the
lawyer's obligations to a client under SCR 20:1.7; or
(b) where the decision 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.
History
ABA COMMENT [1] Lawyers should be encouraged to support and participate in legal service 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.
Provenance
- Source
- www.wicourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-23
- Edition
- 2026-09-23
- Content hash
97f7710431f34e11b40f2b205f53aafca6230a2ab018a37335c4f2d2c524f73f
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