Rule 6.3 Membership in a Legal Services Organization

Lawyers are allowed to volunteer their time with nonprofit legal aid groups, even if that group sometimes helps people whose interests are different from the lawyer's regular clients. Being involved with one of these organizations, like serving on its board or as an officer, is generally fine and encouraged.

However, there are limits. A lawyer cannot take part in a decision or action by the organization if doing so would create a conflict with their duties to their own clients. For example, if the lawyer's regular client and the legal aid group's client end up on opposite sides of an issue, the lawyer needs to step back from making decisions that could hurt either one.

The basic idea is that lawyers should feel free to give back through legal aid work without worrying that it creates automatic conflicts with their regular law practice. But they still need to watch out for situations where their volunteer role and their paying clients' interests could clash, and avoid actively participating in decisions that would cause real harm in those situations.