Subcommittees

A. UPL/Ethics.
This subcommittee will be chaired by Tom Spahn and include Jim McCauley, Nina Olson, Frank Thomas, Ann Burks, James White, John Epps and Flora Townes. This subcommittee will study the implications of enforcing out current rules, as well as the consequences of modifying the current rules to permit MDPs. The work of this subcommittee will include researching applicable legal ethics opinions, rules, definition of the practice of law and the regulatory experiences in other jurisdictions.

B. Professional Regulation of Accountancy and Other Disciplines.
This subcommittee will be chaired by Craig Rascoe and will include Robert Wood, Heman Marshall, Robert Nusbaum and James McNider. This subcommittee will investigate professional regulation of accountants and other professionals to determine to what extent these professional share core values and the degree to which their rules and regulations are compatible with those of the legal profession.

C. The European Experience.
This subcommittee will be chaired by Leigh Middleditch and include Jim McCauley and Jay White. The purpose of this subcommittee is to investigate and report on the establishment of MDPs in Europe and the extent to which the European experience is relevant to MDPs in the United States.

D. Impact of MDPs on Small and Solo Practices.
This subcommittee will be chaired by Jeff Lenhart and include Howard McElroy, Brian Ebert, Clark Worthy and Paul Fletcher. The purpose of this subcommittee is to study and report on how MDPs are perceived as effecting small firms and solo practitioners. This group will contact local and speciality bars and other interested parties for input.

E. Education, Communication, Funding and Consumer Demand.
This subcommittee will be chaired by Donna Lange and include Robert Wood, Ted Brenner, Leigh Middleditch, Heman Marshall, Charlotte Evans, John Keith and Tom Edmonds. This subcommittee is a combination of three working groups as proposed by the Steering Committee. This group will make recommendations concerning how to communicate with the public and the legal community concerning the work of the Commission and to obtain input from interested parties on MDPs. This subcommittee will also make recommendations concerning how to determine or quantify the extent to which consumers seek legal services through MDPs. In addition, this subcommittee is charged with investigating how bars in other states have funded similar commissions, so this commission can propose to bar leadership how some of its activities may be funded.