Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 6.3 · Chapter 6. Public Service
Membership in Legal Services Organization
Text — 2026 edition, as the State Bar of California publishes it (read October 22, 2026)
A lawyer may serve as a director, officer or member of a legal services organization, apart from the law firm* in which the lawyer practices, notwithstanding that the organization serves persons* having interests adverse to a client of the lawyer. The lawyer shall not knowingly* participate in a decision or action of the organization:
(a) if participating in the decision or action would be incompatible with the lawyer’s obligations to a client under Business and Professions Code section 6068, subdivision (e)(1) or rules 1.6(a), 1.7, 1.9, or 1.18; or
(b) where the decision or action could have a material adverse effect on the representation of a client of the organization whose interests are adverse to a client of the lawyer.
Notes and commentary — not rule text
Comment
Lawyers should support and participate in legal service organizations. A lawyer who is an officer or a member of such an organization does not thereby have a lawyer-client relationship with persons* served by the organization. However, there is potential conflict between the interests of such persons* and the interests of the lawyer’s clients. If the possibility of such conflict disqualified a lawyer from serving on the board of a legal services organization, the profession’s involvement in such organizations would be severely curtailed.
Source of truth
- Edition
- 2026 edition, as the State Bar of California publishes it (read October 22, 2026)
- Official file
- https://www.calbar.ca.gov/sites/default/files/portals/0/documents/rules/Rules-of-Professional-Conduct.pdf (PDF pages 61)
- Text hash
- sha256 7c1f7d310ced64a2a0d0f4100107b793a46e9483bdb88935b00c4f491c008966
- Composed by
- rpc/build 2026-10-22: the State Bar's 2026 PDF (pages 12-71) read by two readers, PyMuPDF glyph positions and pdfminer with the PDF's tagged structure, agreeing on 834 of 843 paragraphs character for character, the other nine (paragraph boundaries only) resolved against the rendered page; 205,485 printed glyphs accounted for; the State Bar's chapter pages a third reading
This rule cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Business and Professions Code
California Rules of Professional Conduct
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 1.6Confidential Information of a ClientPrinted as rules 1.6(a), 1.7, 1.9, or 1.18
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 1.7Conflict of Interest: Current ClientsPrinted as rules 1.6(a), 1.7, 1.9, or 1.18
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 1.9Duties to Former ClientsPrinted as rules 1.6(a), 1.7, 1.9, or 1.18
- Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 1.18Duties to Prospective ClientPrinted as rules 1.6(a), 1.7, 1.9, or 1.18
Cited by 2 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Cal. Rules of Prof. Conduct, rule 6.3. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.