Court News Ohio
Court News Ohio
Court News Ohio

Board of Professional Conduct Issues Advisory Opinion on Lawyer’s Duty to Notify Sender of Inadvertently Sent Document

The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct has issued Advisory Opinion 2024-05, regarding a lawyer's ethical duties after receiving inadvertently sent information in response to a public records request.  The opinion states that the lawyer must promptly notify the sender if the lawyer knows or reasonably should know that the document contains client-related information. The Board concluded that the lawyer may read, review, and share the information with the lawyer’s client, as well as discuss how it may be used to support the client’s objectives. This opinion replaces Adv. Op. 1993-11.