On March 21st, a training session dedicated to the supervision of related and ancillary commercial activities of lawyers, including their ethical implications, was held at the Maison des Avocats.
Paris Bar Incubator – Digitization of the profession
At the request of numerous entrepreneurial colleagues, the Paris Bar Incubator offered a training session to all lawyers who had completed the incubation program provided by the IBP (Institut de Formation Professionnelle).
The training, led by Amaury Sonet (BFPL Avocats), a member of the Bar Council, and Pierre Xavier Chomiac de Sas (PCS Avocat), focused on issues related to the digitalization of the legal profession and the development of digital service offerings from legaltech and/or lawtech companies. This was followed by a session dedicated to the rules governing lawyers’ professional communication, specifically in the context of related and ancillary commercial activities.
Lawyers’ Legaltech – Related Business Activities
The applicable rules have evolved considerably since 2015. On April 7, 2023, the National Bar Council, in a resolution concerning exceptional commercial activities and the application of professional ethics to lawyers managing companies, reiterated the strict and full application of all ethical rules, particularly the National Internal Regulations (RIN), to lawyers developing commercial activities related to their profession. This position contrasts with the policy previously pursued by the Paris Bar.
This training session provided an opportunity to exchange ideas with lawyers and answer all the technical and practical questions they may have regarding the development of their projects.
The very positive feedback from this first edition of the ethics training sessions encourages the organization of further workshops on these topics for colleagues interested in developing legal tech tools.
