Legal Ethics Rules in Missouri

Missouri attorneys are bound by Missouri state laws and the Missouri legal ethics rules set forth by the Missouri Bar and Supreme Court. If your attorney operates in a manner that violates these standards and results in financial harm to you, you may be able to make a legal malpractice case to seek damages against the lawyer based on Missouri lawyer ethics violations.

Attorney ethics in Missouri

In the nature of law practice, conflicting ethics responsibilities are sometimes encountered by lawyers. Virtually all difficult ethical problems arise from conflict between a lawyer's responsibilities to clients, to the legal system, and to the lawyer's own interest in remaining an ethical person while earning a satisfactory living. The Missouri Rules of Professional Conduct offers terms for resolving such conflicts.

Foundational principles of Missouri lawyers ethics

There are many Missouri lawyer ethics rules that, if violated, could result in a legal malpractice settlement if an attorney representing you failed to act according to these Missouri lawyer ethics. At the core of these rules are the governing principles that define how all Missouri lawyers should operate. Some of these include—

In all professional functions a lawyer should be competent, prompt, and diligent.
A lawyer should maintain communication with a client concerning the representation.
A lawyer should keep in confidence information relating to representation of a client except so far as disclosure is required or permitted by the Rules of Professional Conduct or other law.
A lawyer should use the law's procedures only for legitimate purposes and not to harass or intimidate others.
A lawyer should demonstrate respect for the legal system and for those who serve it, including judges, other lawyers, and public officials.
As a public citizen, a lawyer should seek improvement of the law, access to the legal system, the administration of justice, and the quality of service rendered by the legal profession.
A lawyer should cultivate knowledge of the law beyond its use for clients, employ that knowledge in reform of the law, and work to strengthen legal education.
A lawyer should further the public's understanding of and confidence in the rule of law and the justice system because legal institutions in a constitutional democracy depend on popular participation and support to maintain their authority.
A lawyer should strive to attain the highest level of skill, to improve the law and the legal profession, and to exemplify the legal profession's ideals of public service.
Every lawyer is responsible for observance of the Rules of Professional Conduct.
A lawyer should also aid in securing their observance by other lawyers.

Neglect of these responsibilities compromises the independence of the profession and the public interest that it serves. In legal malpractice cases claiming negligence against a lawyer, the behavior of that lawyer is measured against these Missouri attorney ethics standards and by the Rules of Professional Conduct.

More information on legal ethics in Missouri

To research MO legal ethics standards, see these resources:

Making a case against bad lawyers

The legal malpractice attorneys at The Hershewe Law Firm, P.C. are fully versed in lawyer ethics in Missouri and can help you win a settlement to recover your damages from the unethical behavior of a bad attorney. Contact us to discuss your case.