What the Law Practice Management Department Does

What We Do

The LPM Department provides next steps to help you move forward on issues related to managing a law practice, including information and guidance on:

• Opening, maintaining, or closing a law practice.
• Succession and transition planning, including situations involving a sudden cessation of practice.
• Using technology to streamline your law practice.
• Locating a client file, document, or will in a retired or deceased attorney’s possession.

What We Do Not Do

• Represent clients or former clients of an attorney.
• Provide legal advice or render ethics decisions. Attorneys may contact the State Bar of Texas Ethics Helpline for ethics guidance at (800) 532-3947.
• Advise on rules, statutes, or issues related to a practice area.
• Advise on the efficacy of vendor products.

The State Bar of Texas Does Not:

• License attorneys. The Texas Board of Law Examiners is responsible for attorney licensure.
• Maintain client files. Client files are confidential. An attorney may not give client files to another attorney without client consent.
• Accept, store, or take over client files, including wills.
• Assign new counsel to handle open cases when a lawyer can no longer practice.
• Provide custodian attorneys to close another attorney’s law practice. A custodian attorney is an attorney who closes another attorney’s law practice when that attorney can no longer practice law. They are allowed to look at the client files, but they do not take over representation or maintain client files after the practice is closed. In Texas, lawyers may designate a custodian attorney through the State Bar of Texas, by separate agreement, or in their estate planning documents.
• Provide a successor attorney to take over another attorney’s law practice. A successor attorney is an attorney who continues representation of another attorney’s cases but can only do so with client consent. Due to ethical rules and client confidentiality issues, an attorney cannot give a client file to another person outside of their law firm without that client’s knowledge or consent.

Contact the LPM Department

PHONE: 512-427-1300
EMAIL: lpm@texasbar.com