THE FLORIDA BAR ETHICS HOTLINE
One of the first of its kind in the nation, and still one of only a handful in operation, the toll-free Ethics Hotline (800-235-8619) was established in 1984 to help guide lawyers through the minefields of conflict dilemmas, confidentiality questions, communication concerns, trust accounting problems, and other ethics difficulties unique to the profession. Hotline attorneys are authorized to respond to inquiries from members in good standing of The Florida Bar who are asking about their own contemplated conduct. When there is no Florida authority upon which to base an answer to an inquiry, ethics counsel can decline to issue an opinion. Staff must decline to render an opinion when an inquirer asks a question of law, a question about past conduct, a question about another attorney's conduct, or a question about the subject of a pending grievance. Advisory ethics opinions are appealable to the Professional Ethics Committee and, ultimately, to the Bar's Board of Governors according to The Florida Bar Procedures for Ruling on Questions of Ethics .
Members of The Florida Bar in good standing who wish to receive an oral advisory opinion about their own contemplated conduct may call 1-800-235-8619 to reach an ethics attorney.
To leave a message, members of The Florida Bar may dial 1-850-561-5780.
To receive a written ethics opinion, which takes 3-5 weeks, members of The Florida Bar in good standing may make written inquiry to The Ethics Department, The Florida Bar, 651 E. Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-2300. An ethics inquiry form is provided on the main ethics page for your convenience.
If you wish to research an ethics issue yourself, attached are some suggestions for researching ethics questions . Additionally, you may wish to review the Rules of Professional Conduct , or search Florida Ethics Opinions. Ethics Opinions are searchable by key word, or you may wish to view the Subject Index of Ethics Opinions . Informational packets on frequently asked ethics questions are also available on this site.
If you are not a member of The Florida Bar and wish to file a complaint against your attorney, you may download a consumer pamphlet "Complaint Against A Florida Lawyer" which contains the complaint form.