TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
The Duty to Plan Ahead 1
Terminology and Forms 1
Getting Started 3
Access to the Trust Account 3
Client Notification 5
Other Steps That Pay Off 6
Death of a Sole Practitioner: Special Considerations 6
CHAPTER 2
What If? Answers to Frequently Asked Questions 8
CHAPTER 3
Checklist for Lawyers Planning to Protect Clients’ Interests in the Event of the Lawyer’s Death, Disability, Impairment or Incapacity 13
Checklist for Closing Another Attorney’s Office 15
Checklist for Closing Your Own Office 17
CHAPTER 4 – Sample Forms
Agreement to Close Law Practice – Full Form 20
Agreement to Close Law Practice – Short Form 26
Power of Attorney – Limited 29
Letter of Understanding 30
Will Provisions 31
Sample Language to Include in Representation Agreements and
Engagement Letters 32
Letter Advising That Lawyer is Unable to Continue in Practice 33
Letter Advising That Lawyer is Closing Office 35
Letter From Firm Offering to Continue Representation 37
Acknowledgment of Receipt of File 38
Authorization for Transfer of Client File 39
Request for File 40
Law Office List of Contacts 41
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This handbook was adapted from the Oregon State Bar Professional Liability Fund Handbook, Planning Ahead: A Guide to Protecting Your Clients’ Interests in the Event of Your Disability or Death, Copyright 1999. All rights are reserved, except that members of the Wyoming State Bar may use this material for assistance with their own law practice or to help another attorney close his or her office.
This material may also be reproduced for classroom instruction or for use by a not-for-profit organization, provided that such use is for informational, non-commercial purposes and any reproduction of this handbook or portion thereof acknowledges the original publication of the handbook by the Oregon State Bar Professional Liability Fund and notes if the material was adapted with permission of the Oregon State Bar Professional Liability Fund.
CHAPTER 1
THE DUTY TO PLAN AHEAD
THE DUTY TO PLAN AHEAD
It is hard to think about events that could render you unable to continue practicing law. Unfortunately, freak accidents, unexpected illness, and untimely death do occur, and if they happen to you, your clients' interests may be unprotected.
For this reason, a lawyer's duty of competent representation includes arranging to safeguard the clients' interests in the event of the lawyer's death, disability, impairment, or incapacity. One of the comments to Rule 1.3 of the Wyoming Rules of Professional Conduct emphasizes the need to be prepared for the unexpected, particularly on the part of sole practitioners:
To prevent neglect of client matters in the event of a sole practitioner's death or disability, the duty of diligence may require that each sole practitioner prepare a plan, in conformity with applicable rules, that designates another competent lawyer to review client files, notify each client of the lawyer's death, disability, extended absence, or inability to practice, and determine whether there is a need for immediate protective action.
Rule 1.3, W.R.P.C., comment [5] (italics supplied).
The Wyoming State Bar is publishing this handbook, with the permission of the Oregon State Bar Professional Liability Fund from which it is adapted, to help you fulfill your ethical responsibilities and to reduce future malpractice claims against you and your estate. Many professional liability insurers require the lawyers they insure to make similar arrangements.
TERMINOLOGY AND FORMS
The term Surrogate Attorney as used in this handbook refers to the lawyer with whom you have made arrangements to close your practice. The term Planning Attorney refers to you, your estate, or personal representative.
The sample Agreement to Close Law Practice-Full Form in Chapter Four, p. 20, authorizes the Surrogate Attorney to transfer client files, sign checks on your general and trust account, and close your practice. This form also provides for payment to the Surrogate Attorney for services rendered, designates the procedure for termination of the Surrogate Attorney, and provides the Surrogate Attorney with the option to purchase the law practice. The Agreement-Full Form is a sample only. You may modify it as needed.
The sample Agreement to Close Law Practice-Short Form in Chapter Four, p. 26, includes authorization to sign on your general and trust accounts and consent to close your office. It does not include many of the terms found in the sample Agreement-Full Form version, but it does include the authorizations most critical to protecting your clients' interests.
Chapter Four also contains additional forms and sample letters for your use.
GETTING STARTED
The first step in the planning process is for you to find a fellow member of the Wyoming State Bar to close your practice in the event of your death, disability, impairment, or incapacity. The arrangement you enter into with the Surrogate Attorney should include a variety of features.
First, it should include a signed consent form authorizing the Surrogate Attorney to contact your clients for instructions on transferring their files, to obtain extensions of time in litigation matters where needed, and to provide all relevant people with notice of closure of your law practice.
The agreement could also include provisions that give the Surrogate Attorney authority to wind down your financial affairs, provide your clients with a final accounting and statement, collect fees on your behalf, and liquidate or sell your practice. Arrangements for payment by you or your estate to the Surrogate Attorney for services rendered also can be included in the agreement. (See sample Agreement-Full Form, p. 20.)
At the beginning of your relationship, it is crucial for you and the Surrogate Attorney to establish the scope of the Surrogate Attorney's duty to you and your clients. If the Surrogate Attorney represents you as your attorney, he or she may be prohibited from representing your clients on some or possibly all matters. Under this arrangement, the Surrogate Attorney would owe his or her fiduciary obligations to you. For example, the Surrogate Attorney would be prohibited from informing your clients of your legal malpractice or ethical violations. However, if the Surrogate Attorney is not your attorney, he or she may have an ethical obligation to inform your clients of your errors. (See What If? Answers to Frequently Asked Questions in Chapter Two.)
Whether or not the Surrogate Attorney is representing you, that person must be aware of conflict of interest issues and must do a conflict of interest check if he or she (1) is providing legal services to your clients or (2) must review confidential file information to assist with transferring clients' files.
ACCESS TO THE TRUST ACCOUNT
When arranging to have someone take over or wind down your financial affairs, you should also consider whether you want that person to have access to your trust account. If you do not make arrangements to allow someone access to the trust account, your clients' money will remain in the trust account until a court orders access. For example, if you become physically, mentally, or emotionally unable to conduct your law practice, and no access arrangements were made, your clients' money will most likely remain in your trust account until the court takes jurisdiction over your practice and your accounts. In many instances, the client needs the money he or she has on deposit in the lawyer's trust account in order to hire a new lawyer. A delay puts the client in a difficult position. This is likely to prompt ethics complaints, Clients’ Security Fund claims, malpractice complaints, or other civil suits.
On the other hand, allowing access to your trust account is a serious matter. You must give careful consideration to whom you give access, and under what circumstances. If someone has access to your trust account, and that person misappropriates money, your clients will suffer damages. In addition, you may be held responsible.
There are no easy solutions to this problem and there is no way to absolutely know if you are making the right choice. There are many important decisions to make. Each person must look at the options available to him or her, weigh the relative risks, and make the best choices he or she can.
If you do want to allow access to your trust account, there are many alternatives. You must first decide (1) who you want to determine if you are disabled, incapacitated, impaired, or for some other reason unable to conduct your business affairs and (2) whether you want to give general access to the account, or access that is contingent upon the occurrence of an event. One approach is to give the Surrogate Attorney access only during a specific time period or after a specific event, and to allow the Surrogate Attorney to determine if the contingency has occurred. Another approach is to have someone else, such as a spouse, best friend, or family member, hold the power of attorney until he or she determines that the specific event has occurred. A third approach is to provide the Surrogate Attorney with access all of the time.
If you want the Surrogate Attorney to have access to your accounts contingent upon a specific event or during a particular time period, you have to decide how you are going to document the agreement. Depending on where you live and the bank you use, some approaches may work better than others. Some banks require only a letter signed by both parties granting authorization to sign on the account. The sample written agreement in Chapter Three should be legally sufficient to grant the Surrogate Attorney authority to sign on your trust account. However, you and the Surrogate Attorney may also want to sign a limited power of attorney. (See Power of Attorney - Limited in Chapter Four, p. 29.) Most banks prefer a power of attorney. Signing a separate limited power of attorney increases the likelihood that the bank will honor the agreement. It also provides you and the Surrogate Attorney with a document that can be given to the bank, which is limited to bank business. (The bank does not need to know all the terms and conditions of the agreement between you and the Surrogate Attorney.) If you choose this approach, consult the manager of your bank. When you do, be aware that power of attorney forms provided by the bank are generally an unconditional authorization to sign on your account and include an agreement to indemnify the bank. Get confirmation that the bank will honor your limited power of attorney, or other written agreement. Otherwise, you may think you have taken all necessary steps to allow access to your trust account, yet when the time comes, the bank may not allow the Surrogate Attorney access.
If you are going to use the form provided by your bank, you may want to have someone, such as your spouse, family member, personal representative, or best friend, hold the power of attorney until the contingency occurs. This can be documented in a letter of understanding, signed by you and the trusted friend or family member. (See Letter of Understanding in Chapter Four, p. 30.) When the event occurs, the trusted friend or family member provides the Surrogate Attorney with the power of attorney.
Either way, if you are going to have the authorization for access to your trust account contingent upon an event or for a limited duration, the terms must be specific and the agreement should state how to determine if the event has taken place. For example, is the Surrogate Attorney authorized to sign on your accounts only after obtaining a letter from a physician that you are disabled or incapacitated? Is it when the Surrogate Attorney, based on reasonable belief of necessity, says so? Is it for a specific period of time, for example, a period during which you are on vacation? You and the Surrogate Attorney must review the specific terms and be comfortable with them. These same issues apply if you choose to have a family member or friend hold a general power of attorney until the event or contingency occurs. Both parties need to know what to do, and when to do it. Likewise, in order to avoid problems with the bank, the terms should be specific, and it must be easy for the bank to determine if the terms are met.
Another approach is to allow access to your trust account all of the time by authorizing the Surrogate Attorney as a signer. This requires going to the bank and having the Surrogate Attorney sign the appropriate cards and paperwork. When the Surrogate Attorney is authorized to sign on your trust account, he or she has complete access to the account. This is an easy approach that allows the Surrogate Attorney to perform the functions of refunding client money or paying appropriate costs from client funds, even if you are just unexpectedly delayed in returning from a vacation. An authorized signer can write checks, withdraw money, or close the trust account at any time, even if you are not dead, disabled, impaired, or for some other reason unable to conduct your business affairs. Under this arrangement, you are unable to control the signer's access. These risks make it an extremely important decision. If you choose to have an authorized signer, your choice of signer is crucial to the protection of your clients' interests, as well as your own.
CLIENT NOTIFICATION
Once you have made arrangements with a Surrogate Attorney, the next step is to provide your clients with information about your plan. The easiest way to do this is to include the information in your representation agreements and engagement letters. This provides clients with information about your arrangement and gives them an opportunity to object. Your client's signature on a representation agreement provides written authorization for the Surrogate Attorney to proceed on his or her behalf if necessary. (See Sample Language to Include in Engagement Letters in Chapter Four, p. 32.)