Rule 9 Standards of Professional Responsibility and Mandatory Reporting Not

This rule makes clear that collaborative law does not change the normal professional rules lawyers and other licensed professionals must follow. Lawyers still have to meet the same ethical standards they always have. If there is ever a conflict between the Collaborative Law Rules and the Mississippi Rules of Professional Conduct, the Rules of Professional Conduct win out.

This rule also confirms that collaborative law does not cancel out mandatory reporting laws. If someone learns about abuse, neglect, abandonment, or exploitation of a child or an adult during the collaborative process, they still have to report it just like they would in any other situation. Being part of a collaborative case does not give anyone an excuse to stay silent about these kinds of harm.