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art. 1.3

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

Rule 1.3 Diligence

Client-Lawyer Relationship

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Rule Text

A lawyer shall act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client.

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

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

Your lawyer has to work on your case with reasonable speed and follow-through. This means not dragging their feet, not letting deadlines slip, and not putting your case on the back burner without good reason.

Being diligent also means your lawyer needs to see your case through to the end. They shouldn't abandon important tasks halfway or let your case stall because of laziness, disorganization, or simply forgetting about it. If your lawyer takes on your case, they owe you steady effort until the work is done or the case ends.

This rule exists because delays can hurt you badly. Evidence can disappear, deadlines can be missed, and legal rights can be lost if a lawyer waits too long to act. Even when a case isn't urgent, you deserve a lawyer who keeps things moving and treats your legal matter as something that actually matters, not something to deal with "eventually."

Committee Notes

No committee notes available for this rule.

← Previous Rule 1.2: Scope of Representation and Allocation of Authority Between Client and Lawyer 2 Next → Rule 1.4: Communication