Lynda C. Shely

The Shely Firm

legal ethics

legal guidelines

legal standards

legal compliance

legal representation

law firm dissolution

law firm transitions

law firm advertising

professional conduct

professional responsibility

professionalism obligations

duties to tribunals

duties to opposing parties

client confidentiality

attorney-client privilege

risk management

solicitation

billing practices

conflict waivers
fee agreements
trust accounting
unauthorized practice of law
ethical conduct
malpractice prevention
regulatory compliance
disciplinary actions
best practices
business law
Scottsdale
Arizona
United States
advisory services

Lynda C. Shely

Ethics Lawyer, Speaker, Consultant

Ethics Advisor to Lawyers

Lynda provides professional responsibility and risk management advice to lawyers and law firms.

Ethics Services

Ethics Advice

The practice of law can be challenging and may, at times, feel like you are going through white water rapids without a guide.

In-House CLE

Providing entertaining and informative legal ethics CLE programs for bar associations, law firms, and national conferences.

Ethics Expert Witness

National Legal Ethics Expert Witness Services.

ABS Law Firms

Advice regarding Arizona’s ABS law firm program.

Representative Ethics Services

  • Legal ethics advice on all professional responsibility issues
  • Assistance with initial responses to Bar charges
  • Practice monitor for lawyers in Bar discipline diversion
  • Law firm dissolution procedures
  • Trust Account Rule 43 compliance examinations
  • Law office management procedure reviews including evaluation of firm calendaring, conflict checking systems, billing, communication protocols, data retention management requirements, and staff supervision
  • Website, social media, marketing and advertising ethics advice
  • In-house ethics continuing legal education (CLE) seminars tailored to each law firm’s specific requirements
  • Risk management and loss prevention audits of law firm procedures

  • Advising on regulatory requirements for Arizona Alternative Business Structure (ABS) law firms.
  • Ethics advice for financing arrangements that involve fee sharing.
  • Review and drafting of referral fee agreements to comport with solicitation restrictions and confidentiality obligations.
  • Training of support staff in ethics requirements including confidentiality obligations, conflict of interest analysis, avoiding the unauthorized practice of law, marketing restrictions, professionalism, communications with tribunals and represented parties, and communication policies for email/telephone/letter standards
  • Training of lateral lawyers for firm ethics compliance
  • Ethics review of fee agreements, document retention policies, conflict waivers, of-counsel relationships, contract employee agreements, office-sharing policies, social media policies, email communications, remote server (cloud) data storage agreements, and ancillary business agreements
  • Expert witness testimony in standard of care in legal malpractice cases, discipline proceedings, motions to disqualify, unauthorized practice of law charges, and fee dispute cases