On Tuesday, August 9, the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates formally adopted Resolution 402, which reaffirms longstanding ABA policy adopted in July 2000 that sharing legal fees with nonlawyers and the ownership or control of law practices by nonlawyers is inconsistent with the core values of the legal profession. The Resolution was sponsored and proposed by the Illinois State Bar Association. Additional sponsors included: the New York State Bar Association, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, and the ABA Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division. The Resolution was also supported by many entities including the Iowa State Bar Association, the California Lawyers Association, the Chicago Bar Association, the Indiana State Bar Association, and the ABA Racial and Ethnic Diversity Caucus.

Resolution 402 will provide guidance to the American Bar Association (ABA) as it considers changes to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct and other policy matters. ISBA President Rory T. Weiler, 2022-23, former president John E. Thies, 2012-13, and ISBA Board member (and ABA House of Delegates Delegate) Emily Masalski, presented the Resolution to the ABA House of Delegates.

Read the final version of Resolution 402.

See ISBA President Rory Weiler's comments on the adoption of Resolution 402. 

The ABA House of Delegates is the policy-making body of the association. The House meets twice each year, at ABA Annual and Midyear Meetings.