Alison Buchanan Appointed to COPRAC

Alison P. Buchanan, a shareholder at Hoge Fenton, has been appointed to the Committee of Professional Responsibility and Conduct (COPRAC), a standing committee of the California State Bar Board of Governors. Buchanan’s three-year appointment became effective at the close of the State Bar Annual Meeting on September 18, 2011. Of the 13 current COPRAC members, only two are in Northern California and Buchanan is the only Silicon Valley representative.

COPRAC’s primary charge is the development and issuance of advisory ethics opinions to help lawyers understand their professional responsibilities under the Rules of Professional Conduct. Although they are not binding, the opinions have been cited in decisions of the California Supreme Court, the State Bar Court Review Department, and the California Courts of Appeal. COPRAC also studies and comments on proposed and amended State Bar Rules and statutes.

“I am honored to have been appointed to COPRAC, and am delighted to serve on this important committee. Legal ethics is one of my professional passions, and I look forward not only to assisting California lawyers, but also to enhancing the service to my own attorney-clients,” said Buchanan.

Buchanan’s practice at Hoge Fenton focuses on business litigation, professional liability and professional malpractice (especially advising and representing lawyers), and legal ethics. She teaches Professional Responsibility at Lincoln Law School in San Jose. Buchanan is also a member of APRL (Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers) and an active member of the Santa Clara County Bar Association, serving as the 2010 and 2011 Chair of its Business Law/Business Litigation Committee.