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R. Regulating Fla. Bar 4-6.6

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Rule 4-6.6 Short-term Limited Legal Services Programs

Public Service

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Rule Text

(a) A lawyer who, under the auspices of a program sponsored by a nonprofit organization, court, government agency, bar association, or law school accredited by an accrediting agency described in Rule of the Supreme Court Relating to Admissions to the Bar 4-13.2(a) or (b), provides short-term limited legal services to a client without expectation by either the lawyer or the client that the lawyer will provide continuing representation in the matter: (1) is subject to rules 4-1.7 and 4-1.9(a) only if the lawyer knows that the representation of the client involves a conflict of interest; and (2) is subject to rule 4-1.10 only if the lawyer knows that another lawyer associated with the lawyer in a law firm is disqualified by rule 4-1.7 or 4-1.9(a) with respect to the matter.

(b) Except as provided in subdivision (a)(2), rule 4-1.10 is inapplicable to a representation governed by this rule.

Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)

This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.

This rule covers lawyers who volunteer to give quick, one-time legal help through programs run by nonprofits, courts, government agencies, bar associations, or law schools. Think of legal advice clinics, court help desks, or hotlines where a lawyer answers questions but does not take on the person's case long-term.

Normally, lawyers have to carefully check for conflicts of interest before helping anyone, and they have to worry about conflicts involving every other lawyer in their firm. This rule relaxes those requirements for short-term volunteer work. The lawyer only has to worry about a conflict if they actually know about one. They do not have to run a full conflicts check like they would for a regular client.

The same relaxed rule applies to conflicts involving other lawyers at the same firm. Normally, if one lawyer in a firm has a conflict, it can block every lawyer in that firm from helping a client. Under this rule, that firm-wide block only applies if the volunteer lawyer actually knows that a colleague has a disqualifying conflict. This makes it easier for lawyers to volunteer their time for quick legal help without a lot of extra paperwork and conflict checking, while still protecting clients from lawyers who knowingly have a conflict.

Committee Notes

Legal services organizations, courts, government agencies, local and voluntary bar associations, law schools and various nonprofit organizations have established programs through which lawyers provide short-term limited legal services, such as advice or the completion of legal forms, that will assist persons to address their legal problems without further representation by a lawyer. In these programs, such as legal-advice hotlines, advice-only clinics or pro se counseling programs, a client-lawyer relationship is established, but there is no expectation that the lawyer’s representation of the client will continue beyond the limited consultation. These programs are normally operated under circumstances in which it is not feasible for a lawyer to systematically screen for conflicts of interest as is generally required before undertaking a representation. See, e.g., rules 4-1.7, 4-1.9 and 4-1.10. A lawyer who provides short-term limited legal services under this rule must obtain the client’s informed consent to the limited scope of the representation. See rule 4-1.2(c). However, a lawyer is not required to obtain the consent in writing. Id. If a short-term limited representation would not be reasonable under the circumstances, the lawyer may offer advice to the client but must also advise the client of the need for further assistance of counsel. Except as provided in this rule, the Rules of Professional Conduct, including rules 4-1.6 and 4-1.9(b) and (c), are applicable to the limited representation. Because a lawyer who is representing a client in the circumstances addressed by this rule ordinarily is not able to check systematically for conflicts of interest, subdivision (a) requires compliance with rules 4-1.7 or 4-1.9(a) only if the lawyer knows that the representation presents a conflict of interest for the lawyer, and with rule 4-1.10 only if the lawyer knows that another lawyer in the lawyer’s firm is disqualified by rules 4-1.7 or 4-1.9(a) in the matter. Because the limited nature of the services significantly reduces the risk of conflicts of interest with other matters being handled by the lawyer’s firm, subdivision (b) provides that rule 4-1.10 is inapplicable to a representation governed by this rule except as provided by subdivision (a)(2). Subdivision (a)(2) requires the participating lawyer to comply with rule 4-1.10 when the lawyer knows that the lawyer’s firm is disqualified by rules 4-1.7 or 4-1.9(a). Because of subdivision (b), however, a lawyer’s participation in a short-term limited legal services program will not preclude the lawyer’s firm from undertaking or continuing the representation of a client with interests adverse to a client being represented under the program’s auspices. Nor will the personal disqualification of a lawyer participating in the program be imputed to other lawyers participating in the program. If, after commencing a short-term limited representation in accordance with this rule, a lawyer undertakes to represent the client in the matter on an ongoing basis, rules 4-1.7, 4-1.9(a) and 4-1.10 become applicable. Added November 20, 2017 (228 So.3d 1117); amended January 15, 2026, effective October 1, 2026. 4-7. INFORMATION ABOUT LEGAL SERVICES

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