New York State Bar Association: Report of the Task Force on Nonlawyer Ownership.

• Position: Resolution, p. 865-868

NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY HOUSE OF DELEGATES NOVEMBER 17, 2012

WHEREAS, in 2000 the New York State Bar Association approved a resolution from the Special Committee on the Law Governing Firm Structure and Operation that provided, inter alia, that "[n]o change should be made to the law that now prohibits lawyers and law firms directly or indirectly from transferring ownership or control to nonlawyers over entities practicing law"; and

WHEREAS, in December 2011 the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20 released for comment a discussion draft proposing a limited form of nonlawyer ownership of law firms and a paper addressing the sharing of fees between or among firms with offices in jurisdictions where nonlawyer ownership is permitted; and WHEREAS, in view of the fact that more than ten years had passed since this issue was examined by NYSBA, the Task Force on Nonlawyer Ownership was appointed to consider the nonlawyer ownership proposals, evaluate whether the proposals would advance the profession's core values of loyalty, independence and confidentiality; and

WHEREAS, in April 2012, the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20 issued a press release indicating that it will not propose changes to ABA policy prohibiting nonlawyer ownership of law firms at this time, and thus withdrawing its December 2011 discussion draft proposing a limited form of nonlawyer ownership of law firms; and

WHEREAS, the Task Force has completed a report concluding that New York should not adopt any form of nonlawyer ownership in the absence of compelling need, empirical data or pressure for change; and

WHEREAS, in September 2012 the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20 issued a revised paper withdrawing its December 2011 proposal concerning the division of fees within a law firm, and addressing the division of fees between lawyers in different firms where one lawyer practices in a firm in a jurisdiction that prohibits nonlawyer ownership and the other practices in a firm with nonlawyer owners in a jurisdiction that permits it (the Inter Firm Fee Sharing Proposal); and

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