伦理意见277

Retention by Former Law Firm of Withdrawing Partner’s Name

A law firm may retain in its name the name of a former partner, 但前合伙人在其他地方执业或者法律禁止事务所保留名称的除外.

适用的规则

• 规则7.1 (Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services)
• 规则7.5(公司名称及信头)

调查

Lawyer B was a founding partner of the law firm “A & B,” 和 now plans to sever her relationship with the firm. She is unsure whether she will continue to practice law after she resigns from “A & B” but, regardless, wants her name removed from the firm’s name after she departs. She inquires whether the 职业行为准则 require the law firm, 应她的要求, to remove her name from the firm name once she resigns.

讨论

这项调查提出了一个更广泛问题的一个特定方面，即在何种情况下，一家靠谱的滚球平台事务所可能在道德上以其名义保留与该事务所不再有关联的靠谱的滚球平台的姓名. The pertinent Rule of Professional Conduct is 7.5(a)，规定:

靠谱的滚球平台不得使用事务所名称, 信头, or other professional designation that violates 规则7.1. 如果不暗示与政府机构或公共或慈善法律服务组织的联系，并且不违反规则7，则私人执业靠谱的滚球平台可以使用商品名称.1.

规则7的有关部分.1并入规则7.5(a)如下:

(a)靠谱的滚球平台不得就其本人或靠谱的滚球平台的服务作出虚假或误导性的通知. A communication is false or misleading if it:

(1) Contains a material misrepresentation of fact or law, or omits a fact necessary to make the statement considered as a whole not materially misleading; or

(二)对靠谱的滚球平台或者靠谱的滚球平台提供的服务有不能证实的主张的.

综上所述, 这些规定可以提炼为禁止使用虚假或具有误导性的靠谱的滚球平台事务所名称. As regards lawyers who have departed a law firm, Comment [1] to 规则7.5说, “使用与公司或公司前任无关的靠谱的滚球平台的名字会产生误导.”

摘自评论[1], 其明显的前提是，在公司名称中使用靠谱的滚球平台的名字意味着该靠谱的滚球平台在场, one could conclude that it is unethical to include in a firm name the name of 任何 lawyer no longer associated with the firm, whether by withdrawal, retirement or death. 在每一种情况下, the firm may be falsely implying that such lawyer remains associated with the firm.

But at least as regards retired or deceased partners, 至少从《靠谱的足球滚球平台》的前身开始，道德法律就明确规定，从道德上讲，这些合伙人的名字可以列入靠谱的滚球平台事务所的名称. Former Disciplinary Rule 2-102(B) provided that “if otherwise lawful, 公司可以使用as, 或者继续包含进去, 一个或多个公司已故或退休成员的名字，或连续继承的前身公司的名字.” Former EC (Ethical Consideration) 2-11 exp和ed on this provision as follows:

多年来，一些靠谱的滚球平台事务所使用保留已故或退休合伙人的一个或多个名字的事务所名称，如果该事务所是已故或退休人员是其成员的事务所的真正继承人，这种做法并不是不正当的, if the use of the name is authorized by law or by contract, 如果公众不被误导. 然而, 从事务所退出但继续执业的合伙人的姓名应从事务所名称中省略，以避免误导公众.

现行的《靠谱的滚球平台》继续承认它不是虚假的或误导的 本身 to include in the firm name the name of a partner no longer associated with the firm, although they do so by characterizing such usage as 商品名称. 规则7.5(a) specifically recognizes that a lawyer may practice under 商品名称, 和 Comment [1] thereto notes that “任何 firm name including the name of a deceased partner is, 严格地说, 商品名称. The use of such names to designate law firms has proven a useful means of identification.”

So, at least for deceased 和 retired “name partners,” 规则7.5(a)承认，它对错误地暗示一名不再与事务所有联系的靠谱的滚球平台在场的关切并不包括所有情况, 而且在某些情况下，还必须考虑到另一个问题——一个事务所的名称通常只代表了在一个可定义的群体中一起执业的一群靠谱的滚球平台, 和 does not necessarily imply that the name partners are themselves practicing there.¹

道德的观点, 在哥伦比亚特区和其他地方, 是否早就认识到靠谱的滚球平台事务所使用包含已故或退休合伙人姓名的商业名称是允许的. 意见No. 224(12月. 17, 1991), 本委员会决定，不排除靠谱的滚球平台继续使用以前合伙企业的名称, where his partners had retired or otherwise left the firm. 同样地，在第6号正式意见中. 90-357 (1990), 美国靠谱的滚球平台协会承认如果是靠谱的滚球平台, 谁是靠谱的滚球平台事务所的冠名合伙人, 退休是为了成为“靠谱的滚球平台”吗,” the lawyer’s name may be retained in the firm’s name. Other jurisdictions have reached the same conclusion. 看到 道德通讯. 弥撒. 酒吧协会., Op. No. 81-5, (April 14, 1981); 和 Comm. on Professional 和 Judicial Ethics of the State 酒吧 of Mich.非正式的. (1984年4月30日).

属于“商号”例外, 然而, 在商业上使用已故或退休合伙人的姓名，必须根据适用于其姓名的财产价值的法律予以允许. 这样的使用可以, 视情况而定, be governed by common law or partnership or corporate law. 看,e.g.， nercesan v. 豪玛斯地毯企业有限公司., 60 N.Y.2d 875, 458 N.E.2d 822 (1983). 如果靠谱的滚球平台事务所, 在这样的法律下, does not have the legal right to use the deceased or retired lawyer’s name, 然后 inclusion of the lawyer’s name in the firm name would not be lawful, 和 it would therefore be misleading for the firm to use it as such. 看,e.g.，意大利面食屋v. Tuma, 689 S.W.2d 690 (Mo. Ct. 应用程序. 1985); 萨尔茨伯格v. 菲什曼, 462 N.E.2d 901. 应用程序. 1984). 另请参阅 Code of Professional Responsibility EC 2-11 (quoted above).

在这方面, 退休合伙人或已故合伙人的遗产同意继续使用靠谱的滚球平台的名字，只有在这种同意为靠谱的滚球平台事务所提供继续使用该名字的必要法律授权时，才属于道德考虑. Such specific consent may not be required under the applicable law if, 例如, 合伙协议赋予靠谱的滚球平台事务所在该靠谱的滚球平台离开公司后继续使用其姓名的权利, or the firm has acquired a common law right to continued use of the lawyer’s name.

继续使用没有在其他地方执业的退出合伙人的名字，类似于已故或退休合伙人的名字，两者都与靠谱的滚球平台事务所无关, 从事法律工作也是如此. If it is ethical to include the name of a deceased or retired partner in the firm’s name, we cannot see why the situation is otherwise for a withdrawn partner. 在两种情况下, 这家靠谱的滚球平台事务所的名字是个商标名, 而且也不能证明冠名合伙人是律所的执业靠谱的滚球平台.

It is, 然而, misleading (和 therefore a violation of 规则7.5(a)) to include in a firm name the name of a lawyer practicing elsewhere. 在这种情况下, 按照规则, 事务所名称作为商业名称可能具有的识别价值，使公众更有可能因在事务所名称中保留已故靠谱的滚球平台的姓名而受到误导.

在我们面前的具体询价, 然后, 靠谱的滚球平台事务所在询问者离开后(不顾她的反对)继续使用询问者的名字是否符合道德规范，将取决于:

(1) whether such use was authorized under common law, the firm’s partnership agreement or otherwise, 和

(2) whether the lawyer did not practice elsewhere.

如果两个条件都满足, 然后 the inquirer’s lack of acquiescence in the use of her name is ethically irrelevant.

调查没有. 97-2-7
通过:1997年11月19日

1. 纽约上诉法院甚至驳回了在公司名称中包含靠谱的滚球平台姓名意味着该靠谱的滚球平台执业的前提. In New York Criminal 和 Civil 法院 酒吧 Ass’n v. 雅各比，472 n.n.Y.S.2d 890 (1984), 纽约靠谱的滚球平台协会试图限制在纽约使用不包括任何在纽约执业的靠谱的滚球平台姓名的靠谱的滚球平台事务所名称, 认为这样做是误导. 法院驳回了这一论点:
  We . . . conclude as a matter of law that use of a firm name comprised of surnames, 没有更多的, 并不构成否认有使用这些姓氏的个别合伙人获准在纽约执业, or indeed that there are partners in the firm who bear such surnames, 无论承认. . . . 公司名称是一种机构描述，使用该名称并不表示任何姓氏与公司名称中姓名相对应的人可以提供专业服务. Id. at 893. (强调说.)