Virginia Bar Association, Legal Ethics Opinion 1842

Ethics Committee

Topic: Obligations of a Lawyer who Receives Confidential Information via Law Firm Website or Telephone Voicemail

From the opinion

“Standing alone, publication of a telephone number in a yellow pages advertisement cannot reasonably be construed as an invitation by the lawyer or firm to an individual to submit confidential information.

The Committee believes the lawyer does not owe a duty of confidentiality to a person who unilaterally transmits unsolicited confidential information via e-mail to the firm using the lawyer’s e-mail address posted on the firm’s website.”

Relevant Law: Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct 1.6, 1.7(a)(2)

The full text available at: https://www.vacle…