A Virginia lawyer may request a written advisory legal ethics opinion (LEO) from the Standing Committee on Legal Ethics. A legal ethics opinion applies ethics rules to a hypothetical set of facts and states whether the activity or conduct complies with or violates such ethics rules.
The committee will not decide questions of law nor make any factual determinations. The committee will also not issue an opinion if a prior LEO is dispositive of the inquiry and may decline to issue an opinion if the question raised is the subject of collateral litigation or a pending bar complaint. See Paragraph 10 for the process by which advisory opinions are generated and reviewed by Council and the Supreme Court of Virginia.
If you desire a quick informal response to an ethics question by the ethics staff, please use the Ethics Hotline or submit your ethics question online.
Legal Ethics Opinion request form (Word doc)
Legal Ethics Opinion request form (fillable pdf)
LEO Library Proposed LEOs