Rule 6.3 Membership in Legal Services Organization

Lawyers are allowed to serve on the board or as an officer of a nonprofit legal aid organization, even if that organization sometimes helps people whose interests conflict with the lawyer's own clients. This lets lawyers volunteer their time and expertise to groups that provide legal help to people who need it, without having to worry that every case the organization takes on will create a conflict for them personally.

However, there are limits. The lawyer cannot take part in a decision or action by the organization if doing so would create a real conflict of interest with one of their own clients, the kind of conflict normally covered under the conflict of interest rules. The lawyer also has to step back from decisions that could hurt the organization's representation of a client, if that client's interests are adverse to someone the lawyer personally represents.

In short, this rule lets lawyers give back through legal aid work without automatically creating conflicts every time. But it also makes clear that the lawyer still has to protect their own clients' interests and stay out of decisions where doing otherwise would compromise someone on either side.