ABA Plans for Litigation Over FTC Rules on Identity Theft

The president of the American Bar Association said Wednesday the group may file a suit by the end of next week if it cannot persuade the Federal Trade Commission to exempt lawyers from new regulations set to take effect Aug. 1. The ABA has been lobbying for months to have lawyers kept out of the regulations, which require businesses and organizations that act as "creditors" to establish a program for preventing identity theft. The FTC and the ABA differ on how much of a burden the regulations would put on businesses.