Opinion ID: 1699019
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: rpc post- edwins

Text: After Edwins, Disciplinary Rule 5-103(B) was replaced with RPC Rule 1.8(e) which states: A lawyer shall not provide financial assistance to a client in connection with pending or contemplated litigation, except that: (1) A lawyer may advance court costs and expenses of litigation, the repayment of which may be contingent on the outcome of the matter, and (2) A lawyer representing an indigent client may pay court costs and expenses of litigation on behalf of the client. It is evident that although Rule 1.8(e) was promulgated after our decision in Edwins, it did not incorporate the gloss which that decision placed on former Disciplinary Rule 5-103(B). [10] Rather, Rule 1.8(e) unambiguously prohibited the advancement of funds and financial assistance in connection with litigation except in the limited cases of court costs and actual litigation expenses. Notwithstanding the wording of Rule 1.8(e), the current practice of law in our State follows the Edwins policy of allowing an attorney to advance funds under the constraints enunciated in Edwins. [11]