--- title: HR 1966. Reaffirming our commitment to attorney integrity and recognizing fiduciary duties owed by attorneys to clients and co-counsel; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1966 cite_as: HR 1966, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1966 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1966.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1966/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74537 date: 2026-03-27 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1965.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1967.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1966.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1966 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-27 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Tyler Smith - Stan Gunter text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1966/2025 upstream_id: 2139213 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - attorney conduct - legal ethics - joint representation - legal profession --- # HR 1966. Reaffirming our commitment to attorney integrity and recognizing fiduciary duties owed by attorneys to clients and co-counsel; recognize ## Text House Resolution 1966 By: Representatives Smith of the 18th and Gunter of the 8th A RESOLUTION Reaffirming our commitment to attorney integrity and recognizing fiduciary duties owed by attorneys to clients and co-counsel; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the practice of law in the State of Georgia is a public trust essential to the fair administration of justice; and WHEREAS, attorneys in Georgia are bound by duties of loyalty, candor, honesty, transparency, and fidelity under the Rules of Professional Conduct; and WHEREAS, attorneys engaged in joint representation share responsibility and authority over client matters, including the safeguarding and disbursement of client funds and attorney's fees; and WHEREAS, the integrity of Georgia's justice system depends upon lawyers honoring fiduciary obligations to their clients and within co-counsel relationships. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body reaffirm their commitment to attorney integrity and recognize that lawyers engaged in joint representation owe fiduciary duties to their clients and to one another. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the press. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution reaffirms lawmakers' commitment to attorney integrity and states that attorneys sharing a case owe fiduciary duties to their clients and to each other. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change any Georgia statute. It is a formal statement by the House of Representatives affirming that the practice of law is a public trust and that Georgia attorneys are bound by duties of loyalty, honesty, and fidelity under the state's Rules of Professional Conduct. The resolution specifically addresses joint representation, situations where more than one attorney works together on a client's case, including sharing responsibility over client funds and attorney's fees. It resolves that House members recognize attorneys in these co-counsel arrangements owe fiduciary duties (legal obligations to act in someone else's best interest) both to their clients and to one another. The resolution directs the Clerk of the House to make copies available to the public and press. It carries no penalties, funding, or enforcement mechanism. ### What it does - Formally reaffirms the House's commitment to attorney integrity in Georgia's legal system without amending any statute. - States that attorneys engaged in joint representation of a client owe fiduciary duties to that client. - States that attorneys engaged in joint representation also owe fiduciary duties to one another, including over shared funds and fees. - Directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### Who it affects Georgia attorneys, particularly those who work together on the same client's case (joint or co-counsel representation), and their clients, whose funds and fee arrangements are handled by multiple lawyers at once. ### Why it matters Because this is a resolution rather than a bill amending the law, it creates no new legal duties, penalties, or enforcement powers. Its practical effect is symbolic, signaling the House's position on attorney conduct standards that already exist under Georgia's Rules of Professional Conduct. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe attorneys' existing duties of loyalty, candor, honesty, transparency, and fidelity under Georgia's Rules of Professional Conduct. - The resolving clause has the House recognize that attorneys in joint representation owe fiduciary duties to clients and to co-counsel. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to prepare and distribute copies to the public and the press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-27) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-03-27) - Sponsors: Tyler Smith, Stan Gunter - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74537 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1966.md?full=1