Attorneys break rules all the time. It can’t be a serious problem, one might suppose, since it happens so often. Maybe we didn’t come to a complete stop before making a right on red, or we used the salad fork for the main course at lunch. Maybe we laughed too loudly in the library quiet room, or we forgot to wipe down the equipment at the gym when we were done.

Sometimes lawyers even break rules at work. Perhaps we didn’t put the milk back in the break-room fridge, or we didn’t count the cover sheet when we sent the fax. Rules, it appears, are meant to be broken—even by attorneys—judging from the evidence. However, when a lawyer breaks rules of the profession, there may be serious consequences. In view of some of the consequences, it’s surprising that lawyers break the rules at all.