Practice
Outside Ethics Counsel
Hilary serves as outside ethics counsel to law firms and lawyers, counseling firms at every stage of their operations — from formation to dissolution. She helps firms build and maintain the systems that prevent problems before they arise, including conflicts-checking procedures and risk-management policies. She also serves as a real-time resource for the discrete, high-stakes questions that surface in the middle of a representation, advising firm leadership and general counsels when novel ethics issues demand a clear answer.
Partner & Group Lateral Transitions
Lateral transitions are a cornerstone of Hilary's practice. She has advised hundreds of equity partners leaving or joining more than half of the firms in the Am Law 100. Hilary advises departing lawyers, the firms they join, and the firms they leave, on the full range of ethics issues that arise when partners and practice groups move between firms. She guides clients through the planning stage and the financial terms of departure. When disputes arise during or after a move, she represents clients in resolving them.
Law Firm Innovation
Hilary advises on emerging structures and business models within the legal profession. Her work includes structuring litigation funding arrangements, navigating the D.C.'s rule permitting non-lawyer partners, and creating compliant master services organizations (MSOs). As the rules governing nonlawyer ownership, outside investment, and alternative business structures continue to evolve, she helps firms and legal technology companies design arrangements that can withstand regulatory and ethical scrutiny.
Criminal & Internal Investigations
Hilary advises lawyers who are subject to criminal investigation and those responding to subpoenas and other demands relating to client matters. Because these matters often unfold alongside parallel disciplinary or regulatory proceedings, she helps clients manage the competing demands of criminal exposure, bar-reporting obligations, and the duty to protect client confidences and privilege. She also conducts sensitive internal investigations when misconduct is alleged, defining the scope and protecting the privilege of the inquiry and advising on remediation.
Disciplinary and UPL Investigations & Admissions
Hilary represents lawyers responding to disciplinary investigations at the state and federal level, including matters before bar authorities, the Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility, and the USPTO’s Office of Enrollment and Discipline. She handles all stages of the process — from initial response through hearing and appeal. She also advises on unauthorized practice of law matters and represents lawyers in UPL investigations, and she counsels lawyers seeking admission to the D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and New York bars.