Skip to main content
Legal Ethics

Practices

Legal Ethics, Professional Responsibility and the Business of Law

The law places unique demands on the people who practice it. Lawyers are governed by demanding ethics rules; lawyers and their firms can be exposed to liability based on a wide range of professional conduct; and the business of law has never been more challenging.

Whether you or your law firm are currently at risk because of ethics-related issues, or if you are seeking consultation on legal ethics or professional responsibility matters or if you are considering a law-firm merger or navigating a law-firm dissolution, Thompson Hine can provide valuable counsel, defense and proactive protection.

ABA Web 100 Honoree
The Law For Lawyers Today

The following is a sample of our experience in representing law firms and individual lawyers, including in trial courts, appellate courts, before disciplinary boards and in counseling matters:

  • Defending a national New York-based firm against claw-back claims asserted by the trustee of a bankrupt firm; (first case in which claw-back issue was litigated outside of bankruptcy court).
  • Defending a firm against a multimillion dollar action involving alleged conflict of interest and performance below standard of care.
  • Defending a firm in a multimillion dollar claim arising from alleged mishandling of commercial litigation.
  • Defending law firm in claim involving alleged failure to perfect security interests.
  • Defending judicial candidate against charges of violating the judicial code of ethics.
  • Defending multiple state and federal suits against multi-state law firm and partners on claims arising from municipal finance advice.
  • Defending law firm and tax partners in SEC investigation of pay-to-play transactions.
  • Defending law firm in IRS investigation of arbitrage financing transactions.
  • Representing law firm with respect to withdrawing partners and protection of firm property.
  • Defending individual lawyers in unauthorized-practice-of-law investigations.
  • Defending individual lawyers in bar discipline cases and investigations arising from alleged ethics violations.
  • Representing lawyers being investigated by the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel and Certified Grievance Committees for alleged ethical violations.
  • Defending a Cleveland-based national firm against multiple claims by clients and third parties arising from estate planning and real estate representation.
  • Defending a firm in a multimillion dollar claim for malpractice and breach of fiduciary duties arising from advice given to trustees of a substantial estate.
  • Defending a firm against a real estate malpractice claim.
  • Defending against claims alleging hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, arising from a firm’s unsuccessful prosecution of underlying case and related arbitration, including alleged errors in formation of various corporate entities.
  • Representing a firm against a claim in connection with probate of estate; established lack of any attorney-client relationship.
  • Defending a national firm against claims arising from a corporate merger transaction.
  • Defending a lawyer against claims in connection with actions as trustee of a multi-million dollar trust.
  • Defending a firm in federal class actions arising from alleged violation of Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
  • Serving as expert witness on standard of care issues on behalf of a large law firm in a case arising from firm’s representation in a business partnership dispute.