In the legal field, however, one of the legal obligations that every lawyer must comply with is to avoid conflicts of interest when it comes to his clients. In fact, if a lawyer represents a client who knows there is a conflict of interest, he or she may be sanctioned by the state bar association and sued by the client for abuse of rights. Colo. RPC 1.7 (b) allows counsel to provide representation regardless of any conflict with counsel`s personal interest if (1) Counsel reasonably believes that he or she can reasonably represent the Client, (2) representation is not prohibited by law, and (3) the Client agrees to full disclosure. Another form of conflict of interest can arise when a lawyer`s personal interests conflict with a client`s interests. When a lawyer conducts a business transaction with a client, there is a risk that the lawyer`s financial interests will conflict with the client`s interests or otherwise limit the lawyer`s ability to defend the client`s interests. [1] Loyalty and independent judgment are essential elements in a lawyer`s relationship with a client. Concurrent conflicts of interest may arise from the lawyer`s liability to another client, former client or third party, or from the lawyer`s own interests. For specific rules on certain simultaneous conflicts of interest, see Rule 1.8. For past conflicts of interest with clients, see Rule 1.9. For conflicts of interest involving potential clients, see Rule 1.18. For the definitions of “informed consent” and “confirmed in writing”, see Rule 1.0(e) and (b). Can a lawyer act if the lawyer`s personal or external interests conflict with the client`s interests? For example, can a lawyer prepare a document or will that gives them an essential gift? The Code of Ethics prohibits a lawyer from acting if his or her personal or external interests conflict with the client`s interests.
For example, unless the client is a family member and there is no semblance of undue influence, the lawyer is prohibited from creating a document or will for a client who makes a substantial gift to the lawyer, a family member of the lawyer, or a legal partner or partner. There are two different groups of circumstances that may constitute a simultaneous conflict of interest. One is when the representation of one client would directly conflict with the other client. [4] This occurs when the interests of one client require the lawyer to act against the interests of the other client. Finally, it should be noted that conflicts of interest between current and former clients, such as conflicts between competing clients, can be eliminated if all parties involved give their informed consent. [26] Unlike current conflicts with clients, the lawyer does not need to consider whether the representation is sufficiently conflict-free. Consent is supposed to heal a previous client conflict. Therefore, when a lawyer undertakes to represent a new client, he or she must first consider whether consent to representation would constitute a conflict of interest in relation to his or her obligations to his or her other clients. A lawyer cannot represent a client if the representation involves a significant risk that the representation will be affected by the lawyer`s obligations to another current client, a former client or a 3rd party to whom the lawyer has an obligation.
[2] [27] For example, conflict issues may arise in estate planning and administration. A lawyer may be called in to prepare wills for multiple family members, such as husband and wife, and depending on the circumstances, there may be a conflict of interest. In the administration of the estate, the identity of the client may not be clear under the law of a particular jurisdiction. According to one view, the client is the trustee; From another perspective, the client is the estate or trust, including its beneficiaries. In order to comply with the conflict of interest rules, the lawyer should clearly indicate his or her relationship with the parties involved. Nevertheless, the existence of a simultaneous conflict of interest is not always a complete obstacle to accepting a client`s representation. In general, despite a conflict of interest, a lawyer may conduct legal representation if the following four criteria are met. The definition of conflict of interest does not give a complete description of the situations that would fall under the term – it is complicated to assess.
Here are four areas where conflicts of interest often arise. [18] Informed consent requires that each client concerned be aware of the relevant circumstances and of the essential and reasonably foreseeable means by which the conflict could harm that client`s interests. See Rule 1.0(e) (informed consent). The information required depends on the nature of the conflict and the nature of the risks involved. When representing multiple clients in the same matter, the information must include the impact of joint representation, including the potential impact on solicitor loyalty, confidentiality and solicitor-client privilege, as well as the associated benefits and risks. See notes [30] and [31] (impact of joint representation on confidentiality). Lawyers who borrow money from clients are particularly at risk of prosecution or disciplinary action, especially if the parties do not remember the loan with a promissory note or if the terms of the promissory note are insufficient or unfavorable to the client. See e.B. People v. Robinson, 853 P.2d 1145 (Colo. 1993) (the lawyer was suspended after borrowing money from the client, but did not disclose the various interests and did not guarantee the loan); Menschen gegen Schindelar, 845 P.2d 1146 (Colo. 1993) (the lawyer was expelled after borrowing funds from vulnerable clients, failing to disclose insufficient loan guarantees, failing to provide appropriate legal documents to ensure repayment and failing to discuss conflicts of interest with the client); see also e.B.
People v. Potter, 966 p.2d 1060 (Colo. 1998); Menschen gegen Barbieri, 61 p.3d 488 (Colo. DPJ 2000); People v. Attorney B, Case No. 00SA338 (20 November 2001); Menschen gegen Doering, 35 p.3d 719 (Colo. DPJ 2001); With regard to Cimino, 3 p.3d 398 (Kolo. 2000). [2] To resolve a conflict of interest issue under this rule, the lawyer must: 1) clearly identify the client(s); (2) determine whether there is a conflict of interest; (3) decide whether representation can take place despite the existence of a conflict, i.e. whether the conflict is capable of giving consent; and (4) If so, consult with affected clients in accordance with subparagraph (a) and obtain their informed consent confirmed in writing.
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