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RESPONDENTS CLOSELY DIVIDED ON WHETHER A BANKRUPTCY ATTORNEY VIOLATES PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT RULES BY PAYING A FEE TO A BANKRUPTCY-HELP WEB SITE THAT DIRECTS CONSUMERS ONLY TO THE SERVICES OF THOSE PAYING PROFESSIONALS

January 12, 2010, Alexandria, Va. — Respondents were closely divided in a recent ABI Quick Poll on whether a bankruptcy attorney violates the rules of professional conduct by paying a fee to a Web site that directs consumers in need of bankruptcy services exclusively to professionals paying for access to the site. Forty-seven percent thought that attorneys paying a fee to such a site were in violation of the rules of professional conduct, while 45 percent disagreed.

Of those respondents that agreed that an attorney paying a fee to such a Web site is in violation of the rules of professional conduct, 34 percent “strongly agreed” while 13 percent “somewhat agreed.” Conversely, 29 percent of respondents “strongly disagreed” that an attorney violates professional conduct rules for paying a fee to such a Web site, and 16 percent “disagreed somewhat.” Five percent of respondents did not know about the issue or had now opinion.

ABI members and members of the public were welcome to submit their response to the statement: “A bankruptcy attorney’s payment of a fee to a Web site that directs consumers in need of bankruptcy services exclusively to those paying the fee violates the rules of professional conduct.”

ABI’s Quick Poll is posted on ABI’s home page, www.abiworld.org. ABI members and the public are invited to respond to a question on a timely bankruptcy or insolvency issue. Visit http://www.abiworld.net/quickpoll/to access the results of previous ABI Quick Polls.

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ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes nearly 12,400 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abiworld.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abiworld.org/conferences.html.