What must lawyers ensure when they offer non-legal services as indicated by MRPC Rule 5.7?

Lawyers must take particular care to avoid conflicts of interest with existing legal clients when they offer non-legal services, as specified in Rule 5.7 of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. This rule is designed to protect clients and the integrity of the attorney-client relationship. The potential for conflicts arises because the interests of clients for whom a lawyer provides non-legal services may not align with those of existing legal clients.

By ensuring that conflicts are effectively managed and avoided, lawyers maintain their ethical obligations to their legal clients and uphold the trust that is integral to the attorney-client relationship. This requirement reflects the broader principles of loyalty and conflict sensitivity that underpin the responsibilities laid out in other rules of the MRPC.

The other options, while they could be relevant in different contexts, do not directly address the specific ethical obligation related to providing non-legal services as articulated in Rule 5.7. For example, while awareness of service limitations and appropriate certification might be important for competent delivery of non-legal services, the paramount concern when those services may overlap with legal representation remains the avoidance of conflicting interests.