The excitement of initiating talks to form a new partnership is always tempered by potential deal breaking conflicts of interest. The ABA took one step last week in making that heartbreak less likely. A new Model Rule adopted by the ABA House of Delegates allows law firms to hire lawyers with potential conflicts of interest using a screening procedure rather than requiring a client waiver.  Massachusetts already has the rule, but as large law firms here have offices in many jurisdictions, the ABA Rule is significant.  Attached are copies of the Massachusttes Rules of Professional conduct and the new ABA Rule. Conduct. ma-code-of-conduct.pdf ; aba-model-rule-110.pdf