I will never permit professional zeal to carry me beyond the limits of sobriety and decorum, but bear in mind, with Sir Edward Coke, that “if a river swell beyond its banks, it loseth its own channel.” David Hoffman, Fifty Resolutions In Regard to Professional Deportment (1838)
David C. Carr Ethics Lawyer
An attorney has a constant and perpetual rendezvous with ethics.
McClure v. Donovan, 82 Cal. App. 2d 664, 666 (1947)
REPRESENTING California attorneys and bar applicants since 2001.
Devoted Exclusively to Legal Ethics and State Bar Matters Since 1989
My legal career has focused exclusively on legal ethics and the discipline system since 1989, including 12 years working as a staff attorney, discipline prosecutor and manager for The State Bar of California. Since I started my law practice in 2001, I have helped hundreds of California attorneys and bar applicants.
36 years of experience working in the discipline system, including 12 years of experience working at the State Bar of California gives me extraordinary insight that I use to defend lawyers.
Why Choose Ethics Lawyer?
Deep System Knowledge
Former State Bar attorney with 12 years of insider experience.
Clear, Practical Guidance
No jargon—just focused, informed legal advice you can act on.
Trusted by Peers
Respected statewide for ethics counsel and expert testimony.
Expert Testimony on Legal Ethics
Drawing on 36 years of law practice and almost 34 years of specialization in legal ethics, I provide informed expert opinion as both a consulting and a testifying expert.
Services
Legal Ethics Advice and Counsel
I help attorneys stay out of trouble with The State Bar of California by providing experienced counsel on legal ethics and the law of lawyering. The consequences of even minor discipline can be serious. Ethical issues that might not be a matter of discipline can be costly, such as a disqualification motion, a fee dispute or a malpractice claim.
I provide advice on legal ethics, risk management and best practices intended to help lawyers meet and exceed all regulatory requirements and minimize risk. I assist lawyers with advertising content, fee agreements, conflict disclosures and consents, and drafting other documents related to legal ethics.
Guidance On Bar Admissions And Moral Character Issues
I also help bar applicants who are facing issues with the Committee of Bar Examiners state their case for admission effectively. The committee’s moral character process is opaque and difficult to understand for the uninitiated. It takes its role as gatekeeper to the profession very seriously and may view criminal convictions or academic discipline as serious barriers to admission. I assist applicants in completing the extensive moral character application, responding to inquiries from the State Bar Office of Admissions, preparing for informal conferences with the Committee of Bar Examiners and seeking review of admissions decisions in State Bar Court.
Effective Representation at Every Stage of the Discipline Process, From Initial Investigation to the California Supreme Court
The discipline system can be alien and intimidating to the outsider. The discipline process has been referred to as sui generis and is governed by its own particular rules, both written and unwritten.
I defend lawyers in State Bar discipline matters at all stages, from initial inquiry through investigation and formal disciplinary proceedings in the State Bar Court of California and the California Supreme Court.