Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports on the closing of the office that was created to provide ethics advice to attorneys

The Arkansas Supreme Court on Friday announced plans to close an office it established nearly two years ago to provide attorneys with guidance and responses to ethical questions.

In a succinct per curiam decision, justices said that because of budgetary constraints, the Office of Ethics Counsel would no longer be funded as of Aug. 1.

“The office will be closed on that date, and the court will no longer employ an Ethics Counsel,” the order states.

The office is supported through the high court’s separate Bar of Arkansas financial account, which is funded solely by annual law license fees paid by Arkansas attorneys, according to the order.

The purpose of the Office of Ethics Counsel is to provide Arkansas licensed attorneys in good standing and pro hac vice admittees free information and informal guidance, advice and opinion in the areas of attorney ethical conduct. The office also offers interpretation of the Arkansas Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys at law and review of proposed attorney advertising, marketing and solicitation materials, according to the office’s website.

Justices expressed appreciation to ethics counsel Stark Ligon in the order.

Ligon said Friday he is the only employee of the Office of Ethics Counsel. While he was unsure of the exact number of advisory opinions he has issued since the office was created in 2021, he said the figure was in the hundreds.

Ligon, who recently turned 78, said he plans to spend time with his family when the office closes.

[DOCUMENT: Read the statement about the office’s closing » arkansasonline.com/715oec/]

“I hope to take a little bit of time off and enjoy not working every day,” he said during a phone call.

Ligon said he also might consider taking interesting part-time work.

“I had a long, challenging and interesting career as an Arkansas lawyer,” he said. “I was privileged to serve in lots of different areas and capacities. I hope I upheld the high standards that were required of and expected of me in each capacity in which I served.”

Along with working as a lawyer, Ligon previously served as a circuit court judge and was director of the Office of the Committee on Professional Conduct.

Ligon’s current annual salary is $105,727.86, said Melanie Fleming, financial officer for the Arkansas Supreme Court, in an email Friday.

(Mike Frisch)