WY Bar Professional Responsibility 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Wyoming Rules of Professional Conduct, which rule governs a lawyer's duty of competence?
- Rule 1.1 (Correct answer)
- Rule 1.3
- Rule 1.6
- Rule 1.7
Correct answer: Rule 1.1
Wyoming Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1.1 requires a lawyer to provide competent representation, including the legal knowledge, skill, thoroughness, and preparation reasonably necessary.
Question 2: Under Wyoming RPC Rule 1.6, a lawyer must maintain client confidentiality but MAY disclose confidential information to:
- Any court if the judge requests it
- Prevent reasonably certain death or substantial bodily harm (Correct answer)
- Any third party who claims a legitimate interest
- The media if the information is already public
Correct answer: Prevent reasonably certain death or substantial bodily harm
Wyoming RPC Rule 1.6(b)(1) permits — but does not require — disclosure to prevent reasonably certain death or substantial bodily harm.
Question 3: Under Wyoming's Rules of Professional Conduct, a conflict of interest between current clients is addressed primarily by:
- Rule 1.7 (Correct answer)
- Rule 1.9
- Rule 1.10
- Rule 1.11
Correct answer: Rule 1.7
Wyoming RPC Rule 1.7 governs concurrent conflicts of interest involving current clients, requiring informed consent confirmed in writing to proceed in most circumstances.
Question 4: Which Wyoming Rules of Professional Conduct rule prohibits a lawyer from communicating directly with a represented party on the subject of the representation?
- Rule 3.4
- Rule 4.2 (Correct answer)
- Rule 4.3
- Rule 8.4
Correct answer: Rule 4.2
Wyoming RPC Rule 4.2 prohibits a lawyer from communicating about the subject of representation with a person known to be represented by another lawyer without that lawyer's consent.
Question 5: Under the Wyoming Rules of Professional Conduct, a lawyer must deposit client funds into a trust account (COLTAF) and may NOT commingle those funds with:
- Funds from other clients
- The lawyer's own personal or business funds (Correct answer)
- Funds held in escrow for third parties
- Settlement proceeds from prior cases
Correct answer: The lawyer's own personal or business funds
Wyoming RPC Rule 1.15 requires that client funds be kept separate from the lawyer's own property in a designated client trust account.
Question 6: Under Wyoming RPC Rule 3.3, a lawyer's duty of candor to the tribunal requires the lawyer to:
- Volunteer all information favorable to the opposing party
- Not make false statements of fact or law to the court (Correct answer)
- Agree with every factual finding by the judge
- Disclose all client communications to the court
Correct answer: Not make false statements of fact or law to the court
Wyoming RPC Rule 3.3(a)(1) prohibits a lawyer from making knowingly false statements of fact or law to a tribunal.
WY Bar Professional Responsibility 1
Under the Wyoming Rules of Professional Conduct, which rule governs a lawyer's duty of competence?