Heather L. Rosing

Heather Linn Rosing is the CEO and president of Klinedinst PC, where she has practiced law for 28 years. Rosing began her career as a junior lawyer at the firm, where she started doing legal malpractice defense.

Professional responsibility issues are often implicated in legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty cases, so Rosing began to learn the intricacies of legal ethics. She became the chair of the San Diego County Bar Association Legal Ethics Committee and ultimately helped write the current Rules of Professional Conduct as a legal advisor to the Rules Revision Commission. This led to her serving as an ethics advisor to hundreds of law firms and lawyers across the state.

Rosing has been a “lawyer’s lawyer” for 28 years, representing attorneys in legal malpractice actions and State Bar matters, as well as providing advice and guidance in the ethics and risk management arena. She also provides expert witness analysis and testimony.

While she cannot share the names of specific clients due to confidentiality considerations, her firm regularly advises hundreds of law firms across California, handling their most sensitive matters. They have also been involved in some of the most cutting-edge ethics and professional responsibility initiatives in California and across the country.

“We have been intimately involved in vetting changes in the ethics landscape, including proposals to redefine the unauthorized practice of law. In my years of practice, I have seen the landscape change dramatically for attorneys,” Rosing said. “Given the rising claims and allegations against lawyers, more and more law firms are focusing on proactive risk management, which we assist with on a daily basis. This helps law firms avoid the stress of State Bar matters and the expense of litigation.”

In terms of trends, Rosing said there is an increasing focus on reporting to the State Bar and trust accounting compliance, as well as the evolving landscape of the application of legal ethics to the usage of AI in the practice of law. Rosing teaches and speaks on this issue, and law firms are racing to keep up.

Another trend she noted is the emergence of relaxed rules in several states that allow non-lawyers to be partners in law firms and that allow fee sharing with non-lawyers. These are access to justice measures, and Rosing’s team is watching them carefully to see if they have the desired effect.

“The legal ethics arena has never been more active and interesting, and our team is excited to be on the cutting edge,” Rosing said.