http://codes.findlaw.com/ca/business-and-professions-code/bpc-sect-6068.html
6068. It is the duty of an attorney to do all of
the following:
(a) To support the Constitution and laws of
the United States and of this state.
(b) To maintain the respect due to the
courts of justice and judicial officers.
(c) To counsel or maintain those actions,
proceedings, or defenses only as appear to him or her legal or just, except the
defense of a person charged with a public offense.
(d) To employ, for the purpose of
maintaining the causes confided to him or her those
means only as are consistent with truth, and never to seek to mislead the judge
or any judicial officer by an artifice or false statement of fact or law.
(e) To maintain inviolate the confidence,
and at every peril to himself or herself to preserve the secrets, of his or her
client.
(f) To advance no fact prejudicial to the
honor or reputation of a party or witness, unless required by the justice of
the cause with which he or she is charged.
(g) Not to encourage either the commencement
or the continuance of an action or proceeding from any corrupt motive of passion
or interest.
(h) Never to
reject, for any consideration personal to himself or herself, the cause of the
defenseless or the oppressed.
(i) To cooperate
and participate in any disciplinary investigation or other regulatory or
disciplinary proceeding pending against himself or herself. However, this subdivision shall not be
construed to deprive an attorney of any privilege guaranteed by the Fifth
Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, or any other constitutional
or statutory privileges. This
subdivision shall not be construed to require an attorney to cooperate with a
request that requires
him or her to waive any constitutional or statutory privilege or
to comply with a request for information or other matters within an unreasonable
period of time in light of the time constraints of the attorney's
practice. Any exercise by an attorney of
any constitutional or statutory privilege shall not be used against the
attorney in a regulatory or disciplinary proceeding against him or her.
(j) To comply with the requirements of
Section 6002.1.
(k) To comply with all conditions attached
to any disciplinary probation, including a probation
imposed with the concurrence of the attorney.
(l) To keep all agreements made in lieu of
disciplinary prosecution with the agency charged with attorney discipline.
(m) To respond promptly to reasonable status
inquiries of clients and to keep clients reasonably informed of significant
developments in matters with regard to which the attorney has agreed to provide
legal services.
(n) To provide copies to the client of
certain documents under time limits and as prescribed in a rule of professional
conduct which the board shall adopt.
(o) To report to the agency charged with
attorney discipline, in writing, within 30 days of the time the attorney has
knowledge of any of the following:
(1) The filing of three or more lawsuits in
a 12-month period against the attorney for malpractice or other wrongful
conduct committed in a professional capacity.
(2) The entry of judgment against the
attorney in any civil action for fraud, misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary
duty, or gross negligence committed in a professional capacity.
(3) The imposition of any judicial sanctions
against the attorney, except for sanctions for failure to make discovery or
monetary sanctions of less than one thousand dollars ($1,000).
(4) The bringing of an indictment or
information charging a felony against the attorney.
(5) The conviction of the attorney,
including any verdict of guilty, or plea of guilty or no contest, of any
felony, or any misdemeanor committed in the course of the practice of law, or
in any manner in which a client of the attorney was the victim, or a necessary
element of which, as determined by the statutory or common law definition of
the misdemeanor, involves improper conduct of an attorney, including dishonesty
or other moral turpitude, or an attempt or a conspiracy or solicitation of another
to commit a felony or any misdemeanor of that type.
(6) The imposition of discipline against the
attorney by any professional or occupational disciplinary agency or licensing
board, whether in California or elsewhere.
(7) Reversal of judgment in a proceeding
based in whole or in part upon misconduct, grossly incompetent representation,
or willful misrepresentation by an attorney.
(8) As used in this subdivision,
"against the attorney" includes claims and proceedings against any
firm of attorneys for the practice of law in which the attorney was a partner
at the time of the conduct complained of and any law corporation in which the
attorney was a shareholder at the time of the conduct complained of unless the
matter has to the attorney's knowledge already been reported by the law firm or
corporation.
(9) The State Bar may develop a prescribed
form for the making of reports required by this section, usage of which it may
require by rule or regulation.
(10) This subdivision is only intended to
provide that the failure to report as required herein may serve as a basis of
discipline.