MERITORIOUS CLAIMS AND CONTENTIONS

(a) A lawyer shall not bring or defend a proceeding, or assert or controvert an issue therein, unless there is a non-frivolous basis in law and fact for doing so, which includes a good faith argument for an extension, modification or reversal of existing law. A lawyer for the defendant in a criminal proceeding, or the respondent in a proceeding that could result in incarceration, may nevertheless so defend the proceeding as to require that every element of the case be established. (b) A lawyer shall not report or threaten to report misconduct to a criminal, administrative, or disciplinary authority solely to obtain an advantage in a civil matter. 25