Attorney Resources
The Court is proposing a new U.S. Tag Court Bar to regulate attorneys and ensure competent legal representation. PLEASE READ the new proposed requirements. You can submit public comments through Contact Us.The Court's proposed new requirements are enacted in Rule 4 of the Draft U.S. Tag Court Rules. An overview of the new requirements are provided below.
Attorney Standards
The rule requires that attorneys follow the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct and that they "conduct themselves with civility, courtesy, and respect toward the court, opposing counsel, parties, and witnesses".
Clients' Rights
The rule also requires attorneys to respect the eight client's rights:
- Clients have the right to effective, competent, and diligent representation.
- Clients have the right to a fiduciary relationship between the attorney and client.
- Clients have the right to be given information about major decisions in the case and the right to give consent to major decisions, without which the major decision cannot proceed.
- Clients have the right to equal representation without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, or other protected characteristics.
- Clients have the right to an understanding of the fee policy of the lawyer, to be charged conscionable fees, and to challenge unreasonable fees.
- Subject to court approval and contractual obligations, clients have the right to withdraw representation by an attorney at any time.
- Clients have the right to review their case file.
- Clients have the right to honest and candid representation.
Dicipline Procedures
For attorneys that don't follow the rules, the rule sets out dicipline procedures. Before the Court or the Bar takes diciplinary action, the court will first issue an Order to Show Cause and grant a hearing to the accused attorney. At the hearing, the attorney is entitled to a fair trial, to present evidence, and to due process and equal protection. If the court or Bar find that the attorney violated the standards of professional conduct, they may be subject to sanctions.