Carol M. Langford

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Location:

Benicia, CA

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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.

Areas Of Practice

  • State Bar Advice and Defense
  • Legal, Medical, Nursing, Physical Therapy, Pharmacy, Real Estate Licensing and Advising
  • Admissions Issues
  • Legal Malpractice Expert Witness

Bar Admissions

  • California, 1986
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1991
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 2006
  • District of Columbia, 1989 (inactive)

Education

  • University of San Francisco School of Law, San Francisco, California
    • J.D. - 1986

Professional Associations And Memberships

  • Association of Disciplinary Defense Counsel, Member 2006 - 2022, President, 2023
  • Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, Member, 2000 to 2022
  • Fee Arbitration Panel, State Bar, 2005 to 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, Member, 2014 to 2017
  • San Francisco Bar Association, Legal Ethics Committee, Member, 1993 to 2011
  • State Bar of California, Member, Fee Arbitration Committee, 2005 to 2008
  • State Bar of California, Fee Arbitration Panel, 2006 to Present
  • American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section, Chair, Ethics Committee, 2003 to 2005
  • Contra Costa County Bar Association, Pro Bono Section, Board Member, 1998 to 2003
  • Contra Costa County Bar Association, Pro Bono Section, Chair, 2001 to 2002
  • State Bar Council of Section Chairs, Chair, 2001 to 2002
  • Law Practice Management & Technology, Chair, Section Executive Committee, 2000 to 2001
  • American Arbitration Association, (Attorney Practice Panel), Mediator, 1996 to 2001
  • Law Practice Management & Technology, Chair Elect, 1999 to 2000
  • ABA Litigation Ethics Newsletter, Board of Editors, 1997 to 2000
  • Contra Costa County Bar Association, Member, Professional Courtesy Subcommittee, 1999 to 1999
  • State Bar Conference of Delegates, Delegate, 1994 to 1998
  • State Bar Committee, Professional Responsibility and Conduct, Special Advisor, 1996 to 1997
  • State Bar Committee, Professional Responsibility and Conduct, Chair, 1995 to 1996
  • State Bar Committee, Professional Responsibility and Conduct, Vice Chair, 1994 to 1995
  • State Bar Committee, Professional Responsibility and Conduct, Member, 1991 to 1994
  • American Bar Association, Committee on Ethics and Professionalism, Member, 1993 to Present
  • Contra Costa County Bar Association, Member, Legal Ethics Committee, 1993 to 1993
  • University of San Francisco Women's Scholarship Committee, Member and Donor, 1987 to 1993
  • University of San Francisco Women's Scholarship Committee, Secretary, 1992 to 1992
  • Law Practice Management & Technology, Member, 1997 to 1999
  • Contra Costa County Superior Court, (Malpractice and Fee Dispute Matters), Mediator, 1995 to 1998

Ms. Langford Has Spoken At Numerous Continuing Education Programs. Some Of Ms. Langford’s Programs And Lectures Include:

  • Panelist, Inn of Court, Davis, California, The Eastman State Bar Case and the Georgia Indictment, February 2024
  • Panelist, Closing Your Practice, Contra Costa County Bar Assn., October, 2023
  • 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. Law San Francisco 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

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

Honors And Awards

  • 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

Past Employment Positions

  • Carroll, Burdick & Mcdonough, Associate and Partner, 1992 to 1998
  • O'Melveny & Myers, Associate, 1990 to 1991
  • Contra Costa County Public Defender's Office, Volunteer Attorney, 1990 to 1990
  • Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro (Pillsbury Winthrop), Associate, 1986 to 1990