Home › Georgia › Rules of Professional Conduct › Rule 3.2

Court Rules Network • courtrules.net

Ga. R. Prof. Conduct 3.2

Not legal advice. Verify against official sources before relying on this text in any legal matter.

Rule 3.2 Expediting Litigation

← Previous Rule 3.1: Meritorious Claims and Contentions Next → Rule 3.3: Candor Toward the Tribunal

Rule Text

A lawyer shall make reasonable efforts to expedite litigation consistent with the interests of the client.

The maximum penalty for a violation of this rule is a public reprimand.

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

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

Lawyers are expected to keep cases moving instead of dragging them out. If a lawyer can push a case forward without hurting their client's interests, they need to do it. This means avoiding unnecessary delays, stalling tactics, or dragging out legal proceedings just to run up costs, wear down the other side, or gain some unfair advantage.

This rule exists because slow-moving cases hurt everyone involved. Courts get backed up, people spend more money on legal fees, and disputes take longer to resolve. A lawyer is allowed to take the time a case genuinely needs, but they cannot use delay as a strategy when it does not actually serve their client's real interests.

If a lawyer breaks this rule, the most they can face is a public reprimand. This is a formal statement that the lawyer did something wrong, and it becomes part of the public record. It is a serious mark on a lawyer's professional reputation, but it is on the lower end of possible punishments compared to things like suspension or losing their license to practice law.

Committee Notes

[1] Dilatory practices bring the administration of justice into disrepute.

[2] The reasonableness of a lawyer's effort to expedite litigation must be judged by all of the controlling factors. "Reasonable efforts "do not equate to "instant efforts "and are sufficient if reasonable under the relevant circumstances.

← Previous Rule 3.1: Meritorious Claims and Contentions Next → Rule 3.3: Candor Toward the Tribunal