Ethical Rules of Giving Gifts to Former Clients Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm posting this anonymously for obvious reasons.

I used to work at a Biglaw firm and represented a pro bono client. I no longer work for this firm and have relinquished this client and his attendant case to another attorney at the firm. The case was pretty much finished in 2018 anyway.

In any event, I have some unneeded technology that has become obsolete because I have since gotten new things. I was wondering if I could donate the unneeded things to my former client? S/he lives in poverty, and I can imagine that COVID-19 has really done a number on his/her living circumstances. The items are a 65 inch curved TV and an older iMac. I have no family in this vicinity to give these items to and am leery about taking these items to a local Goodwill or something. However, I also don't want to fall victim to any ethical rules of which I am unaware. Better to be safe than sorry.

TL/DR: what are the ethical rules for giving relatively expensive gifts to a former client?

[Anonymous User]

Missed a gendered pronoun in your first (second?) paragraph.

I asked my firm's GC this question once, but the circumstances were very different. I wanted to send a box of cookies or something to a current client for recommending me to someone seeking an attorney, but I was worried about running afoul of those "paid referrals" rules or some rule I don't know about. In that situation, the answer was apparently that this was fine, but that sending him a car wouldn't have been fine.

So anyway, you might be safest by asking your GC, your pro bono coordinator, or the referring organization if any. I suppose you could also read the ethics rules, as a last resort haha.

[QContinuum]

So anyway, you might be safest by asking your GC, your pro bono coordinator, or the referring organization if any. I suppose you could also read the ethics rules, as a last resort haha.

You could, alternatively or in addition, ask your bar association. Here are a few that offer ethics guidance:

• NY City Bar Association (https://www.nycbar.org/member-and-caree ... cs/hotline)
• DC Bar (https://www.dcbar.org/bar-resources/leg ... advice.cfm)
• CA State Bar (https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Attorneys/Con ... s/Opinions)
• IL Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (https://www.iardc.org/ethics.html) and IL State Bar Association (https://www.isba.org/ethics)
• TX State Bar (https://www.texasbar.com/Content/Naviga ... efault.htm)

I've listed a few major jurisdictions above; if you're in a different jurisdiction, do a bit of Googling, your jurisdiction likely offers a similar resource as well.

[ninthcircuitattorney]

What ethical rule could this possibly violate? You didn't get a referral from her, you are no longer her lawyer. God bless you for your generosity, but I hope you don't bill actually clients for such academic issues.