Methodology and sourcing

Every entry on this site is verified against a primary source: the issuing bar association, court, or the ABA itself. Secondary coverage (law firm alerts, legal media, other trackers) is used only to find instruments, never as the basis for a date or holding. Where a primary source publishes only a month or a year, we say so instead of inventing a day.

Sourcing rules

Each tracker entry records the most authoritative public URL we could find: the bar's own opinion page or PDF, the court's own rule page, or the ABA's own release. When the original sits behind a member login (as with the Pennsylvania joint opinion), we link the most stable public copy and say so in the entry's notes. We never cite an instrument we could not locate: one widely repeated "Utah Advisory Opinion 24-03" appears on exactly one marketing site and nowhere in any bar or court record, so it is not in this tracker.

Honest labeling

The single most common error in this space is calling everything an "ethics opinion." This tracker distinguishes five types. A formal ethics opinion is a numbered, citable opinion issued through a bar's established process. Official guidance covers practical guidance, FAQs, model policies, and bar counsel publications. A report is a task force or working group product. A court rule or policy binds practice in those courts. A proposed instrument is not law and is listed only because adoption would matter. Headline counts like "25+ states" are true only when all five types are pooled; the strict formal-opinion count is materially smaller, and we publish both numbers.

Date precision

Every date carries a precision flag (day, month, or year) reflecting exactly what the primary source publishes. The D.C. Bar, for example, publishes "April 2024" for Opinion 388 with no day, so this tracker will never show one. Where two dates circulate (Florida's Opinion 24-1 is dated January 19, 2024 on its face, while the bar's web page carries a January 24 modification date), we use the instrument's own face date and explain the discrepancy.

Update cadence

New instruments are added the week they are issued. The full dataset is re-verified quarterly, and each entry shows its own last-verified date. Every change, including corrections, is recorded on the public changelog and announced via RSS and email alerts.

Corrections policy

If you find an error, email info@mhsbsolutions.com with a link to the primary source. Verified corrections ship within a week and get a changelog entry; we do not silently edit data.

Who runs this

This site is built and maintained by MHSB Solutions, a legal technology and operations consultancy, and edited by MHSB Solutions, Research desk. MHSB Solutions is not a law firm. Everything on this site is legal information keyed to primary sources, not legal advice. The tracker and all guides are free, the data is CC BY 4.0, and nothing here is gated. MHSB offers paid implementation services; the tracker does not depend on them and never will.

For licensed attorneys and firm operators. This site is legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is formed by using it. Rules change; verify against the primary sources linked on every page and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before acting.