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Benicia State Bar Defense Law Firm
Overview
In her current practice, Adjunct Professor Carol M. Langford specializes in legal ethics advice and State Bar disciplinary and admissions matters. She has provided advice to attorneys, judges, law firms, and corporations...
In her current practice, Adjunct Professor Carol M. Langford specializes in legal ethics advice and State Bar disciplinary and admissions matters. She has provided advice to attorneys, judges, law firms, and corporations. She also serves as a national expert witness and has worked on voluntary Bar organizations for the State Bar of California by serving as Chair of the California Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct, the Law Practice Management and Technology Committee and the Council of Section Chairs. She was also Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Intellectual Property Section of the American Bar Association. She recently served on the Comission for the Revision of the Rules of Professional Conduct and the Working Group for the Provisional Licensing of Lawyers.
She was formerly a partner at Carroll, Burdick & McDonough, where she was the ethics advisor to the firm and a member of the New Business Committee. She is the co-author of the nationally adopted textbook Legal Ethics in the Practice of Law (Lexis Publishing), and the book The Moral Compass of the American Lawyer: Truth, Justice, Power & Greed (Ballantine). Ms. Langford was presented with the Woman of the Year Award for Women Who Seek Justice in 2004, the Howard Lichtenstein Distinguished Professorship of Legal Ethics Award in 2007 and Adjunct of the Year Award at USF in 2009. She teaches professional responsibility the University of San Francisco School of Law and the University of California Hastings College of the Law and has been an adjunct the University of California Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law in 2011.
About Law Office of Carol M. Langford
Practice Areas
- State Bar Defense 40%
- Committee of Bar Examiners/Admissions 30%
- Legal Malpractice Expert Witness 20%
- Medical, Nursing, Real Estate 10%
- Licensing Issues
Litigation
- 60%
Honors
- Adjunct Professor of the Year, University of San Francisco School of Law, 2009
- Liechtenstein Distinguished Professorship of Legal Ethics, Hofstra University Law School, Hempstead, New York, November 7, 2007
- Woman of the Year Senate Award for Women Who Seek Justice, 2004
- Women Helping Women Award, Soroptimist International, 2002
- John F. Kennedy Volunteer Appreciation Award, Lawyer in the Library, 2001 - 2007
- Outstanding Volunteer of the Year, Bar Association of San Francisco, 1997
- Outstanding Volunteer of the Year, Bar Association of San Francisco, 1998
- Wiley W. Manuel Award, Pro Bono Legal Services, State Bar of California, 1996
Published Works
- A New Era: Covid Forces Change in the Bar and the Bar Exam, Hinshaw Newsletter, December 2020
- When Disaster Strikes: Practising Law in a Word of Climate Change, Covid and Cyber Attacks, Contra Costa Lawyer, December, 2020
- Bar Might Follow ABA on Client Sex Rules, San Francisco Daily Journal, July 20, 2016
- Meet A Leader: Carol M. Langford, Commission on Women in the Profession Written Interview, ABA For Law Students, 2016
- Betting on the Client: Alternative Litigation Funding Is an Ethically Risky Proposition for Attorneys and Clients, University of San Francisco Law Review, Vol. 29, Number 22, 2015
- Betting on the Client: Alternative Litigation Funding Is an Ethically Risky Proposition for Attorneys and Clients, University of San Francisco Law Review, Volume 49, Number 22, 2015
- Legal ethics in the Practice of Law, Lexis, publication Pending, 2012
- The Contra Costa Lawyers, The Ethics Corner Column, 2012
- The Ethics Corner, 2010-2014, Contra Costa County Lawyer Magazine
- Barbarians at the Bar: Regulation of the Legal Profession through the Admissions Process, Hofstra Law Review, Winter, 2009
- Hot New Tips on How to Avoid a Legal Malpractice Lawsuit and State Bar Complaint, California Consumer Lawyer, 2006
- Ethical Currents, Contra Costa Lawyer, July, 2005
- The Ethical Duty of a Lawyer To Be Prepared for a Natural Disaster, San Francisco Attorney, July, 2005
- International Ethics: A Shanghi Surprise, State Bar Reporter, 2003
- Blinded by Science: The Art of Conflicts Checking in the Age of Technology, The Professional Lawyer, Winter, 2002
- Patently Conflicted: Conflicts of Interest in Patent Law, ABA Center for Professional Responsibility Symposium, Winter, 2002
- Finding A Voice: The Legal Ethics Committee, Journal for the Institute for the Study of Legal Ethics, Spring, 2002
- "You're Outta Here!: Proposed Disqualification Standards for Texas Courts, South Texas Law School Journal, 2000
- A Diogenic Search for an Ethical Mediator, Contra Costa County Bar Association, Spring, 2001
- When the State Bar Bugs You, California Litigation. Vol. 14, No. 1, 2001
- It Is Time to Question How Our Legal System Can Afford Secret Settlements, Voir Dire., Spring, 2000
- Reflections on Confidentiality - A Practitioner's Response to Spaulding v. Zimmerman, Hofstra Law Conference Papers, Hofstra Law Review, Spring, 1998
- Attorney-Client Sieve, Recorder, (op. ed.), April, 1998
- Ethics in Ashes, California Lawyer, November, 1998
- Protecting Clients in the Wake of Disaster, Law Practice Management & Technology, Winter, 1998
- Practicing Law on the "Right" Side of the Bay, California Lawyer, January, 1996
- Ethics Issues in Representing Partnerships, California Lawyer, February, 1996
- Ethical Issues in Connection with Fee Agreements, Practicing Law Institute, January, 1994
- An Ethics Rx for Your Practice, California Bar Journal, May, 1994
- The Check Is in the Mail - The Ethical Duties of an Attorney When Enforcing Her Right to Fees After Discharge, Ethics Hotliner, Winter, 1993
- The Lawyer as Target: Building a Shield in the Post-Kaye, Scholer Era, California Litigation, Spring, 1993
- The Ethical Duty of a Lawyer To Be Prepared for a Natural Disaster, San Francisco Attorney, December, 1992
Classes and Seminars
- Speaker, 2021 Legal Ethics Update, Lake County Bar Assn., April 7, 2021
- Speaker, Everything You Need to Know About the Provisional Licensing Program of the California State Bar, Contra Costa County Bar Assn., February 23, 2021
- Speaker, Legal Ethics Today, The Other Bar, Inc., January 29, 2021
- Current Developments in Ethics and Discipline, Speaker, 2019 - 2022 for various Bar Associations throughout California.
- Adjunct Professor - Professional Responsibility, University of San Francisco School of Law, 1993 - 2020
- Adjunct Professor, U.C. Hastings College of the Law As Needed, 2020
- Guest Lecturer, Ethics Issues in Starting a Practice, U.C. Davis Law School, November 2020
- Speaker, The New Era of Ethics in Real Estate, Contra Costa Bar Association, Zoom, September 18, 2020
- Panelist Retainers, Trusts and Bills, Oh My!, Contra Costa County Bar Association, JFK College of Law, February 12, 2020
- Speaker, Funky Credit Day: Recent Developments in the Law of Ethics, San Mateo County Bar Association, January 31, 2020
- Speaker, Ethics News from the Frontline, Bar Association of San Francisco, December 9, 2019
- Speaker, Ethics and Compliance: Traps to Avoid, Marin County Bar Association, San Rafael, November 14, 2019
- Panelist, Real Estate Law and Ethics, PLI, San Francisco, November 8, 2019
- Speaker, The Law and Ethics of New Law, PLI, San Francisco, October 30, 2019
- Panelist, Judicial Ethics for the Administrative Law Judge, NAALJ, San Francisco, October 28, 2019
- Speaker, New Developments at the California Bar, Santa Cruz Bar Association, January 16, 2019
- Speaker, A.I. - Not So Sci Fi Anymore: The Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Practice of Law, Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County Bar Association, November 16, 2018
- Panelist, Ethics for the Real Estate Practitioner, Practising Law Institute, San Francisco, November 9, 2018
- Panelist, Flat Fee or Not Flat Fee, Immigration and Criminal Law Section, Alameda County Bar Association, Oakland, California, September 27, 2018
Pro Bono Activities
- Volunteer Attorney, Contra Costa County Public Defender's Office, 1990
- Pro Bono and Low Fee Counsel to Two Housing Nonprofits , 2020
Representative Clients
- My client list is confidential
Fees
Offers Free Initial Consultation
Office Information
Address
940 Adams StreetSuite J Benicia, CA 94105
Office Hours
9am Pacific Time to 5:30pm Pacific Time including weekends
Phone
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