“Keep Austin Weird” is a great slogan, but making the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct weird is a bad idea. From Jan. 18 through Feb. 17, Texas lawyers can vote on proposed changes to the rules. They should vote against the changes.
These proposed changes are substantially flawed, yet they will dramatically affect critical aspects of Texas law practice, including client selection and case acceptance, conflict-of-interest standards, attorney-client contracts, disqualification from representation, fees, billing, arbitration, confidential client information and even sexual relations with clients. Texas lawyers can and should do better than these proposals.
