For the second year in a row, the Bar’s Ethics Hotline has set a record for the number of calls it has taken from Bar members.
For the 2007-08 fiscal year, which ended June 30, the Ethics Hotline received 26,653 calls, according to Elizabeth Tarbert. That’s a 17 percent increase from the 22,760 calls in 2006-07, the previous record.
The calls are handled by the Ethics and Advertising Department’s nine full-time and two part-time attorneys, in addition to their other duties. Tarbert said the addition of a new attorney in 2006-07 has allowed the department to keep up with the rising number of calls.
Also, she said there has been no staff turnover for the past year, which helps keep up with the rising demands. She attributed the higher number of calls to the growing Bar membership, among other reasons.
Bar membership surveys have consistently shown that the hotline is one of the highest rated Bar services, Tarbert noted, adding “I attribute its success to the hard work, dedication, and professionalism of the attorneys in our office who answer the phones.”
About 68 percent of the hotline calls are attorneys with ethics questions, Tarbert said, while 25 percent relate to advertising. The rest cover other issues.
The best time to call, she said, is between noon and 1 p.m., and if an inquirer does get a busy signal and has to leave a message, all calls are returned within one business day, she added.
The hotline number is 800-235-8619.
The Ethics Hotline can provide help for Bar members on a wide variety of topics, such as conflicts of interest, trust funds, confidentiality issues, and more. Questions must relate to the inquiring attorney’s own prospective conduct. Hotline attorneys are not allowed to address past conduct or address matters of law.
For more information about the Ethics Hotline and ethics opinions, visit the Bar’s Web site, floridabar.org.
— Courtesy Florida Bar News