TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jan 21, 2026

The American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility has issued Formal Opinion 520 to address the disclosure of information after representation is withdrawn. The opinion provides guidance for the limited situations when a lawyer is required to respond to requests for information from former clients or successor counsel. Lawyers should respond when the information being requested was acquired during the course of representation, is unavailable from other sources and is important to the client’s interests in the matter in which the lawyer formerly provided representation. Compliance with the request also must be “reasonably practicable.” Rule 1.16(d) does not require a lawyer to take steps to acquire information, research and generate written responses, or provide further legal services to the client in response to a request for information. Read more in a news release from the ABA or from Bloomberg News.