Advisory Opinion: 1697

Year Issued: 1997

RPC(s): Formal Opinion 181

Subject: Client property; class action; duty to provide class member with copy of entire file

[The law firm represented several hundred people in a class action. One class member requested a copy of the entire file which was several thousand pages.] Formal Opinion 181 requires the attorney to deliver the file to the client and to pay copying costs unless a protective order is obtained from the Court stating otherwise.

Advisory Opinions are provided for the education of the Bar and reflect the opinion of the Committee on Professional Ethics (CPE) or its predecessors. Advisory Opinions are provided pursuant to the authorization granted by the Board of Governors, but are not individually approved by the Board and do not reflect the official position of the Bar association. Laws other than the Washington State Rules of Professional Conduct may apply to the inquiry. The Committee's answer does not include or opine about any other applicable law other than the meaning of the Rules of Professional Conduct.