Ohio Board of Professional Conduct Ethics Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of legal ethics opinions issued by the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct, with full citations and source links on every page.
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Could a judge publicly endorse or oppose ballot issues, such as a county sales tax for a new jail and courthouse or a merit-selection plan for judges?
The Board concluded that judges could ethically endorse or oppose economic or political issues, provided the measures were intended to improve the law, the legal system, or the administration of justi…
Could a judge let a clothing store display the judge's photograph on a 'wall of fame' in exchange for free merchandise?
The Board concluded that a judge should not consent to having the judge's photograph displayed on a clothing store's 'wall of fame' in exchange for free neckties, because doing so would lend the prest…
Under the former Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct and former R.C. 1907.16, could a county court judge appear as a lawyer in other geographic divisions of the same county court, and could the judge's law partners, shareholders, and office-mates appear in any division of that court?
The Board concluded that under R.C. 1907.16 a county court judge was disqualified from practicing law only as to matters pending or originating in that county court during the term of office; the judg…
Under the former Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct, what disqualifications applied when a common pleas judge sought to appoint as full-time domestic relations referee a former Bureau of Support prosecutor whose lawyer husband appeared locally?
The Board concluded that the common pleas judge should disqualify under Canon 3C(1) when the referee's husband or members of his firm appeared if impartiality might reasonably be questioned; the refer…
Under the former Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct, could the spouse of a common pleas judge serve as a prosecuting attorney in the same county, and was the judge required to disqualify from all cases prosecuted by that office?
The Board concluded that the judge's spouse could not appear as counsel in the judge's courtroom (Canon 3C(1)(d)(ii)) but could appear before other judges in the county; the disqualification of one pr…
Under the former Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct, could a common pleas judge serve on a county hazardous-materials task force whose purpose was to make recommendations on the county's ability to respond to hazardous materials incidents and spills?
The Board concluded that membership on the county Hazardous Materials Task Force would violate Canon 5G of the former Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct, because Canon 5G prohibited a judge from accepting …
Under the former Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct, could a retired judge eligible for recall to judicial service serve as a member or co-chairperson of a courthouse restoration committee whose function included raising one million dollars in private donations?
The Board concluded that under Compliance Section C and Canon 5B(3) of the former Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct, a retired judge eligible for recall could not solicit funds for any charitable or civic…
Under the former Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct, could the Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court write a foreword for a book on the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution without remuneration?
The Board concluded that writing a foreword to a book on the U.S. Constitution's bicentennial, without remuneration, did not violate the former Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct, because Canon 4(A) and Ca…
Does a local bar's grievance committee have to tell law-enforcement about criminal conduct it uncovers while investigating an attorney?
The opinion concluded that under EC 1-4 of the former Ohio Code of Professional Responsibility, a Certified Grievance Committee had a duty to notify law-enforcement authorities of criminal conduct dis…
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Legal ethics opinions from the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct interpret the rules of professional conduct for working lawyers, in response to inquiries from members and committees. They are not binding like court discipline decisions, but courts and discipline boards treat formal opinions as substantial guidance on how the rules apply. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the original source on the bar's site.