Feb. 4, 2026
The role of lawyers as officers of the court
See more on The role of lawyers as officers of the court
Wendy L. Patrick
Wendy is a California lawyer, past chair and advisor of the California State Bar Ethics Committee (Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct), and past chair of the San Diego County Bar Association Legal Ethics Committee. Any opinions expressed here are her own, and do not reflect that of her employer. This article does not constitute legal advice.
What does it mean to be an officer of the court? We repeat that phrase routinely. Often we use it to explain why an attorney should--or should not--behave a certain way, make affirmative representations or place information on the record in court. But what is the origin of that phrase, what are prime examples of what that means for us as practitioners, and why is it so important to understand all that it encompasses?
An officer and an advo...
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