TAPped is repeating baseless ethics allegations made against Ben Ginsberg. I’m no expert on legal ethics, but the claims are rather flimsy on their face. The NYT passage at issue may raise questions, but it is hardly an admission of guilt. The ethics rules in question are designed to prevent a lawyer from taking advantage of his clients. They do not prevent a lawyer from waiving fees after the fact. The second accusation, that the ethics rules somehow prohibit attorneys from providing free legal service for non-profits or other political organizations that have substantial budgets is just silly. This is the sort of legal commentary that, if made professionally to a client, would constitute legal malpractice.