SBM issues ethics opinion on use of person-to-person payment applications for legal funds
The State Bar of Michigan’s Standing Committee on Professional Ethics issued a new ethics opinion on January 6, 2026, that outlines how legal professionals may utilize person-to-person payment applications to receive funds from clients.
The opinion, RI-393, states that lawyers may accept fees via person-to-person (P2P) apps, such as Venmo and PayPal, but “must take additional precautions in utilizing such P2P payment applications when accepting funds, other than earned fees, to ensure that said funds are promptly transferred directly into an IOLTA or other lawyer trust account for safekeeping consistent with the Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct.”
It further details how lawyers must take steps to ensure client privacy when using P2P apps and maintain appropriate records.
You can read the full opinion https://www.michbar.org/opinions/ethics/numbered_opinions/RI-393
‘The Dark Tetrad’ explored during NAPD webinar
The National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) will present a webinar on “The Dark Tetrad: A Forensic Neuroscience and Neurocriminological Perspective” Monday, February 9, from 1 to 2 p.m.
The Dark Tetrad is a constellation of four interrelated personality traits: narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and sadism. These four traits are typified by grandiosity, manipulativeness, lack of empathy, and indifference to the well-being of others. The Dark Tetrad is linked to a diverse array of negative outcomes, including poor social relationships, career instability, and problematic or criminal behaviors. Research suggests that these traits are influenced, at least in part, by prenatal and postnatal neurobiopsychosocial factors. As such, neurocriminology provides a critical pathway for understanding the role of brain structure, brain function, and biochemical and genetic factors in the etiology of the Dark Tetrad.
Designed for criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal professionals, attendees will learn how these approaches can help enhance understanding, prevention, screening and assessment, interventions, and management of these traits.
Speaking at the webinar will be Jerrod Brown, a professor, trainer, researcher, and consultant with multiple years of experience teaching collegiate courses. He is also the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS).
Cost for the webinar is $50. To register, visit https://publicdefenders.us/event/the-dark-tetrad-a-forensic-neuroscience-and-neurocriminological-perspective.
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