Which organization promulgates the Model Rules of Professional Conduct?

• A. The National Bar Association
• B. The American Bar Association
• C. The Federal Rules Committee
• D. The State Bar Association

Answer: (B)

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct are developed and published by the American Bar Association. The ABA, through its Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, drafts these rules as a model code for attorney conduct. They lay out standards on issues like confidentiality, conflicts of interest, competence, and communication, and jurisdictions around the country use them as a template—either adopting them wholesale or with modifications. While state bars enforce ethical rules within their borders and may issue opinions, they typically base their own rules on the ABA’s model rather than creating the Model Rules themselves. The National Bar Association and state bar associations don’t promulgate the Model Rules, and the Federal Rules Committee isn’t the body responsible for setting these ethics standards.