AMERICAN COLLEGE OF TRIAL LAWYERS ADOPTS CODES OF TRIAL AND PRETRIAL CONDUCT

The American College of Trial Lawyers, www.actl.com, recently adopted this Code of Pretrial Conduct as a companion to the Code of Trial Conduct first adopted in 1956.

Like the Code of Trial Conduct, this new Pretrial Code is part of a continuing effort to promote professionalism and courtesy among trial lawyers during all stages of litigation. It supplements existing rules of professional conduct, local court rules, and rules of procedure, and provides guidance to trial lawyers on proper conduct in pretrial proceedings. And, like the Code of Trial Conduct, this Code expresses only minimum standards.

As Chief Justice, a former trial lawyer, and an Honorary Fellow of the College, it is a pleasure to commend the Code to the trial bar, law schools, and judiciary of our nation.

William H. Rehnquist,
Chief Justice of the United States
May 2003

Code of Pretrial Conduct