If you would like to talk to someone who practices in this very specific type of law, I encourage you to call me anytime. Additionally, there are some good resources that you should refer to as well.
If you are a licensed attorney you should be reviewing ethics opinions. My personal opinion is that most, if not all of these opinions are very helpful if you want to have a very good basic understanding of a particular rule or situation. These opinions give you a hypothetical example, some decent case law, how the example applies to the rules, and a conclusion.
These ethics opinions are not binding but can be cited in not only State Bar Court cases, but also California Supreme Court cases as well.
Another good resource is the State Bar Ethics Hotline. Many attorneys that call me have already called the Ethics Hotline at the State Bar. I have heard mostly positive things about this hotline but every now and then I will hear that the hotline totally led this person astray. There is also an element of not being able to feel totally open in your questions to a State Bar employee.
How else can you keep up to date with ethics issues? Well, there are MCLE classes taught by me or many of my colleagues. Or even a day long course in ethics (Client Trust Account School/Ethics School) taught at the Bar, where they discuss the Rules of Professional Conduct and the State Bar Act. If you have been disciplined you are required to attend these schools; but any licensed attorney may attend and receive some MCLE credit for it as well.
Specifically, Ethics School identifies issues and solutions to common ethical situations. Client Trust Account School is a separate 3-hour course focusing on client trust account issues.
For further information see the following:
California Compendium on Professional Responsibility and Conduct:
Review California State Bar Ethics opinions at http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Attorneys/Conduct-Discipline/Ethics/Opinions
Most local county bar associations have ethics committees that publish ethics opinions as well.
Los Angeles County Bar Association ethics opinions:
https://www.lacba.org/resources/tools-documents/ethics-opinions
San Diego County Bar Association ethics opinions:
https://www.sdcba.org/index.cfm?pg=LegalEthicsOpinionsIndex
Orange County Bar Association ethics opinions:
http://www.ocbar.org/AttorneyResources/EthicsOpinions.aspx
San Francisco Bar Association ethics opinions:
American Bar Association ethics opinions:
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/ethicsopinions.html
