On September 24, 2020, partner Craig Singer addressed the American Bar Association’s Legal Opinions Committee about Formal Opinion 491, issued on April 9, 2020 by the ABA’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.  ABA Model Rule 1.2(d) prohibits a lawyer from advising or assisting a client in conduct the lawyer “knows” is criminal or fraudulent, and the Formal Opinion states that such “knowledge” may include a lawyer’s willful blindness to or conscious avoidance of facts indicating that the client intends to use the lawyer’s services for criminal or fraudulent activity.  In addressing the Committee, Craig discussed the Formal Opinion and its implications for opinion givers. 

Craig concentrates his practice in three broad areas: professional liability, false claims and criminal defense, and appellate work.  Craig has represented numerous lawyers and law firms, including some of the nation’s largest firms, in federal and state courts, government investigations, and arbitration proceedings in many jurisdictions around the country. 

To read the full report by the ABA Legal Opinions Committee, click here.