Avoid a bad break-up when leaving a law firm.

• Date: 14 September 2009
• Published date: 14 September 2009

Byline: Jack Zemlicka

Like many businesses during the recession, law firms have suffered their share of cutbacks.

But attorneys who leave a firm, either voluntarily or involuntarily, should do so professionally, say ethics experts, even though in a down economy there is greater temptation to try and retain clients.

It's not an auction or competition or dividing a property, said University of Wisconsin Law School Professor Ralph Cagle. It is client's free, informed choice.

Departures are best handled by a joint letter that gives the client the opportunity to chose who they wish to have represent them, said attorney Dean R. Dietrich, chair of the State Bar of Wisconsin's Professional Ethics Committee.

While Wisconsin firms have not seen the same level of job loss as some...