In Re: Arkansas Bar Association - Petition to Revise the Arkansas Rules of Professional Conduct.

IN RE: ARKANSAS BAR ASSOCIATION --
PETITION TO REVISE THE
ARKANSAS RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

03-1049                                                                                                                                                                                                  ___ S.W.3d ___

Supreme Court of Arkansas
Opinion delivered December 11, 2003

Per Curiam. The Arkansas Bar Association has petitioned the Court to revise the Arkansas Rules of Professional Conduct by replacing them with proposed rules patterned on the latest version of the American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct. The Arkansas Bar Association through its Professional Ethics Committee and the House of Delegates has reviewed the American Bar Association's Model Rules and made some changes culminating with the draft rules attached to its petition filed with this Court. We thank the Arkansas Bar Association for its work.

Today, the Court publishes the Bar's proposed rules for comment. The comment period shall end on February 11, 2004. Comments should be sent to the Clerk of the Supreme Court, Attention: Rules of Professional Conduct, Justice Building, 625 Marshall, Little Rock, AR 72201.

Because of their length, the proposed rules are not attached to this per curiam order. They can be examined by going to the Arkansas Bar Association's web site: http://www.arkbar.com. ("Proposed Ethics Rules"). This web site contains a "red-lined" version showing how the proposed rules differ from the current rules, summaries, and links to the work of the American Bar Association. If this electronic version is not practicable, a disk containing the proposal or a hard copy can be obtained by contacting the Arkansas Bar Association, 400 West Markham, Little Rock, AR 72201 (800-609-5668).