Opinion 21-103

June 22, 2021

Dear :

         This responds to your inquiry (21-103) asking whether, as a full-time judge, you may serve on the board of councilors for a private law school in another state. The law school is part of a not-for-profit university. The board typically meets “four or five times a year” and provides non-legal advice to the law school dean and faculty.

 The Rules Governing Judicial Conduct permit a full-time judge to serve as an officer, director, or non-legal advisor of a not-for-profit educational organization provided the judge is not involved in any fund-raising, does not render legal advice, does not lend the prestige of judicial office to advance any private interest and the law school and university are not engaged regularly in adversarial proceedings in any court.

         Enclosed, for your convenience, are Opinions 20-74; 16-76; 09-236; and 95-07 which address this issue.

                                                 Very truly yours,

                                                 Margaret T. Walsh

                                                 Supreme Court Justice

                                                 Committee Co-Chair

                                                 Lillian Wan

                                                 Acting Supreme Court Justice

                                                 Committee Co-Chair

Encls.