Rule 5.1 Responsibilities of Partners, Managers, and Supervisory Lawyers

Law firm partners and managers have a duty to make sure everyone at the firm follows the rules of professional conduct. This includes overseeing other lawyers and licensed paralegals who work at the firm.

A lawyer can be held responsible for another person's rule violation in two situations. First, if the lawyer actually orders the bad conduct or approves of it after learning the specific details, they are on the hook. Second, if the lawyer is a partner, manager, or supervisor and finds out about a violation while there's still time to fix the problem or limit the damage, they must take reasonable steps to address it. Failing to act when they had the chance makes them responsible too.

This means senior lawyers can't look the other way when they know someone under their supervision is breaking the rules. If they find out in time to do something about it and choose not to act, they share the blame for what happened.