The North Carolina State Bar has published Proposed 2026 Formal Ethics Opinion 1: Closing Attorney’s Referral to Law Partner’s Title Insurance Agency for public comment.

The proposed opinion concludes that a lawyer may not refer a client in a closing transaction to a title agency in which the lawyer’s law partner has a financial interest.

Read Proposed 2026 FEO 1 on the North Carolina State Bar website

The State Bar’s Ethics Committee welcomes comments on the proposed opinion.

Members may submit comments using the “Submit a Comment” form at the bottom of the State Bar page or by emailing comments@ncbar.gov. To ensure consideration at the Ethics Committee’s next quarterly meeting, members are encouraged to submit comments by early October 2026.

Additional State Bar Resources

·         Governing Rules

·         Rules of Professional Conduct

·         Ethics Advice

·         Ethics Opinions

·         State Bar Forms

·         Trust Accounting