RPC RULE 8.3
                  REPORTING PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT


  (a) A lawyer who knows that another lawyer has committed a violation of
the Rules of Professional Conduct that raises a substantial question as
to that lawyer's honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer in other
respects, should inform the appropriate professional authority.

  (b) A lawyer who knows that a judge has committed a violation of
applicable rules of judicial conduct that raises a substantial question
as to the judges fitness for office should inform the appropriate authority.

  (c) This Rule does not permit a lawyer to report the professional
misconduct of another lawyer or a judge to the appropriate authority if
doing so would require the lawyer to disclose information otherwise
protected by Rule 1.6.

Comment

  [1] [Washington revision] Lawyers are not required to report the
misconduct of other lawyers or judges. Self-regulation of the legal
profession, however, creates an aspiration that members of the profession
report misconduct to the appropriate disciplinary authority when they
know of a serious violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct. Lawyers
have a similar aspiration with respect to judicial misconduct. An
apparently isolated violation may indicate a pattern of misconduct that
only a disciplinary investigation can uncover. Reporting a violation is
especially important where the victim is unlikely to discover the offense.

  [2] [Reserved.]

  [3] [Washington revision] While lawyers are not obliged to report every
violation of the Rules, the failure to report a serious violation may
undermine the belief that lawyers should be a self-regulating profession.
A measure of judgment is, therefore, required in deciding whether to
report a violation. The term "substantial" refers to the seriousness of
the possible offense and not the quantum of evidence of which the lawyer
is aware. A report should be made whenever a lawyer's conduct raises a
serious question as to the honesty, trustworthiness or fitness to
practice. Similar considerations apply to the reporting of judicial misconduct.

  [4] [Washington revision] This Rule does not apply to a lawyer retained
to represent a lawyer whose professional conduct is in question. Such a
situation is governed by the Rules applicable to the client-lawyer relationship.

  [5] [Washington revision] Information about a lawyer's or judge's
misconduct or fitness may be received by a lawyer in the course of that
lawyer's participation in an approved lawyers or judges assistance
program. In that circumstance, there is no requirement or aspiration of
reporting. Admission to Practice Rule 19(b) makes confidential
communications between lawyer-clients and staff or peer counselors of the
Lawyers' Assistance Program (LAP) of the WSBA privileged. Likewise,
Discipline Rule for Judges 14(e) makes confidential communications
between judges and peer counselors and the Judicial Assistance Committees
of the various judges associations or the LAP of the WSBA privileged.
Lawyers and judges should not hesitate to seek assistance from these
programs and to help prevent additional harm to their professional
careers and additional injury to the welfare of clients and the public.


[Amended effective September 1, 2006.]