Press Release

Wagner Ethics Attorney a Primary Draftsperson of High-Profile Professionalism Report

Issued by The Wagner Law Group P.C.

Apr. 4, 2025

BOSTON, MA -- In January 2025, the New York State Bar Association released a Report of the NYSBA's Committee on Attorney Professionalism entitled, “How an Attorney’s Professional Activities Affect Consideration of the Attorney for Judicial and Political Positions: A Framework for Citizens.” The purpose of the Report is to address the extent to which a lawyer’s prior activities could have a practical impact on the later consideration of the lawyer for elected or appointed office. It seeks to emphasize to the non-lawyer public that a lawyer’s role and responsibility extends to the representation of unpopular and even despised clients.

Wagner’s General Counsel, Andrew L. Oringer, is listed as a primary draftsperson of the Report. The Report is the subject of an article co-authored by him in the Spring 2025 issue of the NYSBA’s Journal. The Report has been cited in a major statement of the NYSBA President that comments on the lawyer's role in controversial representations, which may be found here.

Mr. Oringer has previously served as Chair of the Committee on Attorney Professionalism and is now on the NYSBA’s Committee on Professional Ethics, which writes the NYSBA’s ethics opinions. He is author of a widely disseminated article on law-firm best practices, and the co-author of the chapter on ethics in Bloomberg’s leading treatise on ERISA Fiduciary Law (of which he is co-editor). He co-chairs Wagner’s Ethics ("E") Team along with Wagner’s Deputy Managing Partner and Associate General Counsel, Thomas E. Clark, Jr.

Wagner’s E Team stands ready to help law firms and individual lawyers navigate the murky waters of legal ethics and other professionalism issues. WLG can provide advice and counsel regarding specific issues, infrastructure design and, particularly for firms with no internal general counsel, ongoing ethics assistance. Firms with their own ethics practices may also want to consider contacting The Wagner Law Group when they are conflicted out in a particular matter. Those in need of counsel on legal ethics issues may contact Mr. Oringer or Mr. Clark for assistance.

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