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Carol M. Langford - Benicia, CA
940 Adams StreetSuite J Benicia, CA 94105
Law Office of Carol M. Langford
Benicia State Bar Advice and Defense Lawyer
Overview
Ms. Langford has a solid educational background in professional responsibility matters through her adjunct professorships at the University of San Francisco School of Law and her previous lecturer position at the University of California Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law...
Ms. Langford has a solid educational background in professional responsibility matters through her adjunct professorships at the University of San Francisco School of Law and her previous lecturer position at the University of California Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law...
Ms. Langford has a solid educational background in professional responsibility matters through her adjunct professorships at the University of San Francisco School of Law and her previous lecturer position at the University of California Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. She has co-authored a nationally adopted legal case book entitled Legal Ethics in the Practice of Law (Lexis, Fourth Edition), as well as Legal Ethics: Rules, Statutes and Comparisons in the past (Lexis, updated annually) and The Moral Compass of the American Lawyer: Truth, Justice, Power and Greed (Ballantine). She has published numerous articles on ethics and malpractice avoidance. She has spoken at well over 150 continuing education programs on ethics conduct issues. Recently she was appointed Chair of the Drafting Committee of the Disciplinary Standards Task Force and was appointed to the California Commission for the Revision of the Rules of Professional Conduct.
Ms. Langford has many years of experience in fee dispute matters and the firm has been involved in a variety of matters involving the determination of a fair and reasonable fee. Her fee dispute matters have included everything from multi-million dollar patent matters to disputes involving lesser sums in family law, business, estate and other cases. She also served as a member of the California Bar's Fee Arbitration Committee. Ms. Langford understands that it can be hard to battle over fees, both for the lawyer and his or her client, so let the Law Office of Carol M. Langford handle those matters for you.
Ms. Langford also serves as a national expert witness on the ethical conduct of lawyers and has consulted with hundreds of lawyers, including individual law firms and individual and institutional clients. She has evaluated numerous legal malpractice claims and has been an expert witness or consultant on a variety of attorney conduct matters. She served as Chair of the State Bar of California's Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct and a Special Advisor to the Committee. She was Chair of the State Bar of California's Law Practice Management and Technology Committee and Chair of the Council of Section Chairs. She has also served as the Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Intellectual Property Section of the American Bar Association. Ms. Langford was appointed to serve on the Commission for the Revision of the Rules of Professional Conduct and assisted in the drafting of the current ethics Rules.
AWARDS AND HONORS
Ms. Langford was awarded the Adjunct Professor of the Year Award at the University of San Francisco School of Law, the Lichtenstein Distinguished Professorship of Legal Ethics Award from Hofstra University in New York, the Woman of the Year Award from the California Senate for Women Who Seek Justice and the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award, among others. She is a strong proponent of pro bono public legal services and has personally spent years mentoring two students from Vallejo, California who have gone on to become successful in their fields.
The Law Office of Carol M. Langford also accepts select plaintiff's legal malpractice cases. If you want efficient, practical and strong representation then contact the Law Office of Carol M. Langford.
About Carol M. Langford
Practice Areas
- State Bar Advice and Defense
- Legal, Medical, Nursing, Physical Therapy, Pharmacy, Real Estate Licensing and Advising
- Admissions Issues
- Legal Malpractice Expert Witness
Qualifications
Bar Admissions
- California, 1986
- District of Columbia, 1989
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1991
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 2006
Other Affiliations
- Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, 2000 - 2022 (Member)
- Association of Disciplinary Defense Counsel, Member 2006 - 2022, Vice President 2022
- Fee Arbitration Panel, State Bar, 2005 - 2022
- State Bar of California Provisional Licensing Program Rules Drafting Working Group, 2021
- California Commission for the Revision of the Rules of Professional Conduct, Member, Commission for the Revision of the Rules of Professional Conduct, 2014 - 2017 (Member)
- San Francisco Bar Association, Legal Ethics Committee, 1993 - 2011 (Member)
- State Bar of California, 2005 - 2008 (Member, Fee Arbitration Committee)
- State Bar of California, 2006 - Present (Fee Arbitration Panel)
- American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section, 2003 - 2005 (Chair, Ethics Committee)
- Contra Costa County Bar Association, Pro Bono Section, 1998 - 2003 (Board Member)
- Contra Costa County Bar Association, Pro Bono Section, 2001 - 2002 (Chair)
- State Bar Council of Section Chairs, 2001 - 2002 (Chair)
- Law Practice Management & Technology, 2000 - 2001 (Chair, Section Executive Committee)
- American Arbitration Association, (Attorney Practice Panel), 1996 - 2001 (Mediator)
- Law Practice Management & Technology, 1999 - 2000 (Chair Elect)
- ABA Litigation Ethics Newsletter, 1997 - 2000 (Board of Editors)
- Contra Costa County Bar Association, 1999 (Member, Professional Courtesy Subcommittee)
- State Bar Conference of Delegates, 1994 - 1998 (Delegate)
- State Bar Committee, Professional Responsibility and Conduct, 1996 - 1997 (Special Advisor)
- State Bar Committee, Professional Responsibility and Conduct, 1995 - 1996 (Chair)
- State Bar Committee, Professional Responsibility and Conduct, 1994 - 1995 (Vice Chair)
- State Bar Committee, Professional Responsibility and Conduct, 1991 - 1994 (Member)
- American Bar Association, Committee on Ethics and Professionalism, 1993 - Present (Member)
- Contra Costa County Bar Association, 1993 (Member, Legal Ethics Committee)
- University of San Francisco Women's Scholarship Committee, 1987 - 1993 (Member and Donor)
- University of San Francisco Women's Scholarship Committee, 1992 (Secretary)
- Law Practice Management & Technology, 1997 - 1999 (Member)
- Contra Costa County Superior Court, (Malpractice and Fee Dispute Matters), 1995 - 1998 (Mediator)
Classes and Seminars
- Speaker, 2021 Legal Ethics Update, Lake County Bar Assn., April 7, 2021
- Speaker, Everything You Need to Know About the Provisional Licensing Program of the California State Bar, Contra Costa County Bar Assn., February 23, 2021
- Speaker, Legal Ethics Today, The Other Bar, Inc., January 29, 2021
- Current Developments in Ethics and Discipline, Speaker, 2019 - 2022 for various Bar Associations throughout California.
- Adjunct Professor - Professional Responsibility, University of San Francisco School of Law, 1993 - 2020
- Adjunct Professor, U.C. Hastings College of the Law As Needed, 2020
- Guest Lecturer, Ethics Issues in Starting a Practice, U.C. Davis Law School, November 2020
- Speaker, The New Era of Ethics in Real Estate, Contra Costa Bar Association, Zoom, September 18, 2020
- Panelist Retainers, Trusts and Bills, Oh My!, Contra Costa County Bar Association, JFK College of Law, February 12, 2020
- Speaker, Funky Credit Day: Recent Developments in the Law of Ethics, San Mateo County Bar Association, January 31, 2020
- Speaker, Ethics News from the Frontline, Bar Association of San Francisco, December 9, 2019
- Speaker, Ethics and Compliance: Traps to Avoid, Marin County Bar Association, San Rafael, November 14, 2019
- Panelist, Real Estate Law and Ethics, PLI, San Francisco, November 8, 2019
- Speaker, The Law and Ethics of New Law, PLI, San Francisco, October 30, 2019
- Panelist, Judicial Ethics for the Administrative Law Judge, NAALJ, San Francisco, October 28, 2019
- Speaker, New Developments at the California Bar, Santa Cruz Bar Association, January 16, 2019
- Speaker, A.I. - Not So Sci Fi Anymore: The Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Practice of Law, Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County Bar Association, November 16, 2018
- Panelist, Ethics for the Real Estate Practitioner, Practising Law Institute, San Francisco, November 9, 2018
- Panelist, Flat Fee or Not Flat Fee, Immigration and Criminal Law Section, Alameda County Bar Association, Oakland, California, September 27, 2018
Past Positions
- Carroll, Burdick & Mcdonough, Associate and Partner, 1992 - 1998
- O'Melveny & Myers, Associate, 1990 - 1991
- Contra Costa County Public Defender's Office, Volunteer Attorney, 1990
- Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro (Pillsbury Winthrop), Associate, 1986 - 1990
Education
- University of San Francisco School of Law, San Francisco, California, 1986
J.D.
Articles
Published Works
- A New Era: Covid Forces Change in the Bar and the Bar Exam, Hinshaw Newsletter, December 2020
- When Disaster Strikes: Practising Law in a Word of Climate Change, Covid and Cyber Attacks, Contra Costa Lawyer, December 2020
- Bar Might Follow ABA on Client Sex Rules, San Francisco Daily Journal, July 20, 2016
- Meet A Leader: Carol M. Langford, Commission on Women in the Profession Written Interview, ABA For Law Students, 2016
- Betting on the Client: Alternative Litigation Funding Is an Ethically Risky Proposition for Attorneys and Clients, University of San Francisco Law Review, Vol. 29, Number 22, 2015
- Betting on the Client: Alternative Litigation Funding Is an Ethically Risky Proposition for Attorneys and Clients, University of San Francisco Law Review, Volume 49, Number 22, 2015
- Legal ethics in the Practice of Law, Lexis, publication Pending, 2012
- The Contra Costa Lawyers, The Ethics Corner Column, 2012
- The Ethics Corner, 2010-2014, Contra Costa County Lawyer Magazine
- Barbarians at the Bar: Regulation of the Legal Profession through the Admissions Process, Hofstra Law Review, Winter, 2009
- Hot New Tips on How to Avoid a Legal Malpractice Lawsuit and State Bar Complaint, California Consumer Lawyer, 2006
- Ethical Currents, Contra Costa Lawyer, July, 2005
- The Ethical Duty of a Lawyer To Be Prepared for a Natural Disaster, San Francisco Attorney, 2005
- International Ethics: A Shanghi Surprise, State Bar Reporter, 2003
- Blinded by Science: The Art of Conflicts Checking in the Age of Technology, The Professional Lawyer, Winter, 2002
- Patently Conflicted: Conflicts of Interest in Patent Law, ABA Center for Professional Responsibility Symposium, Winter, 2002
- Finding A Voice: The Legal Ethics Committee, Journal for the Institute for the Study of Legal Ethics, Spring, 2002
- You're Outta Here!: Proposed Disqualification Standards for Texas Courts, South Texas Law School Journal, 2000
- A Diogenic Search for an Ethical Mediator, Contra Costa County Bar Association, Spring, 2001
- When the State Bar Bugs You, California Litigation. Vol. 14, No. 1, 2001
- It Is Time to Question How Our Legal System Can Afford Secret Settlements, Voir Dire., Spring, 2000
- South Texas Law School Journal, 2000
- Reflections on Confidentiality - A Practitioner's Response to Spaulding v. Zimmerman, Hofstra Law Conference Papers, Hofstra Law Review, Spring, 1998
- Attorney-Client Sieve, Recorder, (op. ed.), April, 1998
- Ethics in Ashes, California Lawyer, November, 1998
- Protecting Clients in the Wake of Disaster, Law Practice Management & Technology, Winter, 1998
- Practicing Law on the "Right" Side of the Bay, California Lawyer, January, 1996
- Ethics Issues in Representing Partnerships, California Lawyer, February, 1996
- Ethical Issues in Connection with Fee Agreements, Practicing Law Institute, January, 1994
- An Ethics Rx for Your Practice, California Bar Journal, May, 1994
- The Check Is in the Mail - The Ethical Duties of an Attorney When Enforcing Her Right to Fees After Discharge, Ethics Hotliner, Winter, 1993
- The Lawyer as Target: Building a Shield in the Post-Kaye, Scholer Era, California Litigation, Spring, 1993
- The Ethical Duty of a Lawyer To Be Prepared for a Natural Disaster, San Francisco Attorney, December, 1992
Office Information
Address
940 Adams StreetSuite J Benicia, CA 94105
Phone
Office Hours
9am Pacific Time to 5:30pm Pacific Time including weekends
Websites
Achievements
Other Sources of Feedback About Carol M. Langford
Honors
- Adjunct Professor of the Year, University of San Francisco School of Law
- Liechtenstein Distinguished Professorship of Legal Ethics, Hofstra University Law School, Hempstead, New York, November 7
- Woman of the Year Senate Award for Women Who Seek Justice
- Women Helping Women Award, Soroptimist International
- John F. Kennedy Volunteer Appreciation Award, Lawyer in the Library
- Outstanding Volunteer of the Year, Bar Association of San Francisco
- Wiley W. Manuel Award, Pro Bono Legal Services, State Bar of California
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