New Hampshire Adopts Rule for Clients Who Email

Ethics

New Hampshire adopted a rule that clearly protects persons who, in good faith, e-mail confidential information to a lawyer from having the lawyer use the information against the prospective client.  The comments to New Hampshshire Rule 1.18 provide in part: “In its version of these provisions, New Hampshire’s rule eliminates the terminology of ‘discussion’ or ‘consultation’ and extends the protections of the rule to persons who, in a good faith search for representation, provide information unilaterally to a lawyer who subsequently receives and reviews the information.  This change recognizes that persons frequently initiate contact with an attorney in writing, by e-mail, or in other unilateral forms, and in the process disclose confidential information that warrants protection.”

The rule no doubt makes it more important for NH lawyers to use effective disclaimers on their web pages.

Related listings

  • Detroit Mayor Faces Felony Charges

    Detroit Mayor Faces Felony Charges

    Ethics 03/24/2008

    DETROIT, Michigan -- Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and an ex-aide were charged Monday with perjury and obstruction of justice after prosecutors said sexually explicit text messages between the two contradicted their sworn court testimony.Detroit May...

  • Assembly begins pushing legislative ethics reforms

    Assembly begins pushing legislative ethics reforms

    Ethics 03/06/2008

    Lawmakers would be barred from accepting more than one taxpayer-paid health insurance plan and from taking campaign donations from their aides under measures pushed forward Thursday by Assembly legislators. The measures released by the Assembly State...

  • Web Page Disclaimers in New Hampshire

    Web Page Disclaimers in New Hampshire

    Ethics 02/29/2008

    Effective January 1, 2008, New Hampshireadopted a rule that clearly protects persons who, in good faith, e-mailconfidential information to a lawyer from having the lawyer use theinformation against the prospective client.  The comments to NewHam...

Texas Adopts Statewide Texting-While-Driving Ban

Effective September 1, 2017, Texas will become the 47th state to pass a statewide ban on texting while driving. Governor Abbott’s signing of House Bill 62 is an effort to unify Texas under a uniform ban and remedy the “patchwork quilt of regulations that dictate driving practices in Texas.”

The bill specifically prohibits drivers from reading, writing, or sending an electronic message on a device unless the vehicle is stopped. That includes texting and emailing. It does not, however, prohibit dialing a number to call someone, talking on the phone using a hands-free device, or using the phone’s GPS system.

Violations would be punishable by a fine ranging from $25 to $99, to be set by each municipality. Although penalties could rise to as much as $200 for repeat offenders.

Studies have found that a driver’s reaction time is half as much when a driver is distracted by sending or reading a text message. According to state officials, in 2015 more than 105,000 traffic accidents in Texas involved distracted driving, leading to at least 476 fatalities.

Business News

New York Adoption and Family Law Attorneys Our attorneys have represented adoptive parents, birth parents, and adoption agencies. >> read