Confidential Settlements

The Ethics Committee of the District of Columbia Bar has recently opined that D.C. Rule 5.6 prohibits settlement agreements that compel an attorney to treat public information as confidential. The lawyer who settles a case may agree to keep the terms of the settlement and other non-public information confidential, but cannot be prevented from disclosing public information about the case in promotional materials or on the firm’s web site.  The opinion is here.  [Mike Frisch]