The Honorable Gerald W. VandeWalle
Chief Justice
North Dakota Supreme Court
600 E Boulevard Ave Dept 180
Bismarck, ND 58505-0530
Re: Multijurisdictional Practice - Proposed Rule Amendments
Dear Chief Justice VandeWalle:
In response to a referral from the Supreme Court, the Joint Committee on Attorney Standards has reviewed the Report of the SBAND MJP Task Force. The Joint Committee's review and recommendations are presented in the enclosed report.
Over the course of several meetings, the Joint Committee considered the Task Force's proposed amendments to Rules 5.5 and 8.5 of the Rules of Professional Conduct and to Rule 3 of the Admission to Practice Rules. The Committee does not recommend any additional amendments to Rule 8.5, but does recommend additional changes to the Task Force's proposed amendments to Rule 5.5 and Rule 3. The proposed amendments are summarized in their entirety in the enclosed report and the important differences between the Task Force's and Joint Committee's recommendations are noted.
The Joint Committee completed its review of the Task Force Report earlier this summer and submitted its recommendations to the SBAND Board of Governors for review and comment. The Board of Governors agreed with the Committee's recommendations.
On behalf of the Joint Committee on Attorney Standards I am therefore pleased to submit the enclosed report and proposed rule amendments regarding multijurisdictional practice in North Dakota to the Supreme Court for its consideration. I would like also to extend my thanks to the members of the Joint Committee, who committed their knowledge and efforts to the MJP review while also dedicating substantial time to the ongoing Ethics 2000-related review of the Rules of Professional Conduct.
If you have any questions concerning the Joint Committee's report and proposals, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Williams, Chair
Joint Committee on Attorney Standards
MJW/
Enc.
cc: Christine Hogan, Executive Director, SBAND
Jim Ganje