Legal Ethics and Legal Profession Research Guide

Each state court system is responsible for investigating potential attorney misconduct and sanctioning attorneys found guilty of ethical violations.  Depending on the state, this process is either carried out by the court itself or delegated to the state bar association.  The American Bar Association's Center for Professional Responsibilities maintains resources for the public that includes a Directory of Lawyer Disciplinary Agencies identifying the organization responsible for attorney discipline.

The ABA/Bloomberg Law Lawyers' Manual on Professional Conduct publishes biweekly summaries of nationwide disciplinary proceedings and court decisions dealing with legal ethics.

The full text of ethics proceedings and court rulings on legal ethics can be found using ordinary methods of finding case law, or by using the following methods:

• Bloomberg Law: search court opinions for Professional Responsibility.
• Lexis: select Practice Area, and then select Legal Ethics.
• Westlaw: select the state you want to research, then select Administrative Decisions and Guidance, and then select Judicial Ethics Opinions.