Wendy Chang Column Cited in Daily Journal Article on ABA Discrimination Rule

August 11, 2016

Wendy Chang, a Los Angeles-based partner in the Lawyers for the Profession® group at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, had her Daily Journal column "Lawyers Lead the Change Yet Lag Behind," cited in the ethics and professional responsibility article "ABA should adopt discrimination rule," published by the Daily Journal on August 8, 2016.

The August 8, 2016 article, written by Diane Karpman, discusses the then pending proposal by the American Bar Association (ABA) to create a new rule of professional responsibility, Rule 8.4(g) that would make it professional misconduct engage in discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, and socioeconomic status in the practice of law. Rule 8.4(g) was in fact adopted by the ABA House of Delegates in the afternoon of August 8. 

Ms. Chang's earlier column on the then proposed (and now adopted) Model Rule, "Lawyers Lead Change Yet Lag Behind," is quoted in the August 8, 2016 article for the position that 8.4(g) will not have the devastating impact on the profession that some individuals fear: "The proposed rule would bring no disciplinary apocalypse. Jurisdictions which have adopted a similar rule have not experienced a mass influx of [false] complaints. Nor have they seen an influx of disparate impact claims in hiring decisions, which is unsurprising given that legal employers are already subject to employment laws. There has also been no evidence that the discipline system became the tribunal of first resort" said Ms. Chang.

Read the full article, "ABA should adopt discrimination rule," on the Daily Journal website.

Wendy Chang represents lawyers in all types of complex matters that involve the practice of the law, including risk management counseling, ethics, crises management, fee related issues, discipline defense, hotline counseling, professional liability and litigation defense.

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is a U.S.-based law firm with offices nationwide. The firm's national reputation spans the insurance industry, the financial services sector, professional services, and other highly regulated industries. Hinshaw provides holistic legal solutions—from litigation and dispute resolution, and business advisory and transactional services, to regulatory compliance—for clients of all sizes. Visit www.hinshawlaw.com for more information and follow @Hinshaw on LinkedIn and X.