California Supreme Court Approves New Ethics Rules For Lawyers Cody Drabble Monday, May 14, 2018 | Sacramento, CA Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin. CoolCaesar / Wikimedia The California Supreme Court approved an overhaul last week of ethics rules for lawyers for the first time since 1989. Lots of the changes are technical, but overall they bring California’s approach closer to the American Bar Association’s Model Rules. McGeorge School of Law Professor John Sims joins Insight to discuss the most important changes to how attorneys practice law in California.