can an adversary lawyer dictate what matters i can have my lawyer address?

by Veronica Parker 6 min read

A lawyer shall not communicate about the subject of the representation with a person the lawyer knows to be represented by another lawyer in the matter unless the lawyer has the consent of the other lawyer or is authorized by law to do so. But what if a lawyer seeks to communicate with his adversary’s current or former employee?

Full Answer

Can a lawyer fail to cite adverse legal authority?

The rule prohibits attorneys from “knowingly” failing to cite directly adverse legal authority. Ostensibly, the rule would not apply to lawyers who fail to find the applicable case law because they are negligent.

Why is it important for attorneys to disclose adverse authority?

The duty to disclose adverse authority is considered an important one to help judges decide on cases based on precedent—serving the principle of stare decisis.” The rule is part of the profession’s commitment that attorneys must follow the duty of candor to help the system find the truth.

Can my lawyer talk to me directly?

No, they cannot talk to you directly. All communication has to go through the lawyers in order to protect your rights and attorney-client privilege. Report Abuse Report Abuse Please explain why you are flagging this content: * This will flag comments for moderators to take action. 0out of 500 characters * Please enter the explanation

Can a lawyer speak to a person who is represented by counsel?

A lawyer cannot speak to a person who is represented by counsel. Have your attorney contact the attorney. Report Abuse Report Abuse Please explain why you are flagging this content: * This will flag comments for moderators to take action.

What is unethical for a lawyer?

Attorney misconduct may include: conflict of interest, overbilling, refusing to represent a client for political or professional motives, false or misleading statements, knowingly accepting worthless lawsuits, hiding evidence, abandoning a client, failing to disclose all relevant facts, arguing a position while ...

What is the no contact rule in law?

According to Charles W. Wolfram's “Modern Legal Ethics,” the no contact rule, as a general proposition, prohibits a lawyer who is representing a client from contacting a party known to be represented by another party. The no contact rule first found its way into the American Bar Association's canons of ethics in 1908.

What are the four responsibilities of lawyers?

It describes the sources and broad definitions of lawyers' four responsibilities: duties to clients and stakeholders; duties to the legal system; duties to one's own institution; and duties to the broader society.

Can I communicate directly with opposing counsel?

No California legal ethics rule expressly prohibits a non-lawyer client from contacting another party directly, although clients cannot be used as conduits for indirect prohibited contact from lawyers.

Can a lawyer speak against their client?

The attorney-client privilege is, strictly speaking, a rule of evidence. It prevents lawyers from testifying about, and from being forced to testify about, their clients' statements. Independent of that privilege, lawyers also owe their clients a duty of confidentiality.

What is the definition of no contact?

*“No-contact” means that a defendant is not to call, write, have a third party contact, or themselves physically contact the victim or any other party the Judge orders the defendant have “no-contact” with.

What are the obligations of a lawyer?

CODE OF PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY - CHAN ROBLES VIRTUAL LAW LIBRARY. CANON 1 - A LAWYER SHALL UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION, OBEY THE LAWS OF THE LAND AND PROMOTE RESPECT FOR LAW OF AND LEGAL PROCESSES. Rule 1.01 - A lawyer shall not engage in unlawful, dishonest, immoral or deceitful conduct.

Can a lawyer mislead their opponent?

It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to knowingly mislead the court. Under the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW), the Legal Services Commissioner is unable to reach conclusions about the truth or otherwise of evidence presented in court by your opponent's lawyer.

What are the rights of lawyer?

Privileges to a lawyer under the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.Right to pre-audience. ... Right to practice the profession. ... Right to enter in any court. ... Right against arrest. ... Right to meet accused. ... Privileges to a lawyer under the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.

How do you deal with aggressive opposing counsel?

8 Tips for Dealing with Difficult Opposing CounselPoint out Common Ground. ... Don't be Afraid to Ask Why. ... Separate the Person from the Problem. ... Focus on your Interests. ... Don't Fall for your Assumptions. ... Take a Calculated Approach. ... Control the Conversation by Reframing. ... Pick up the Phone.

When can a lawyer communicate about a legal matter with someone who already has a lawyer?

In representing a client, a lawyer shall not communicate about the subject of the representation with a person the lawyer knows to be represented by another lawyer in the matter, unless the lawyer has the consent of the other lawyer or is authorized to do so by law or a court order.

What does suborned perjury mean?

A person charged with suborning perjury is guilty only if the person tried to convince a witness to lie under oath. "Suborn" means to cause or bring about. But, the person attempting to induce a witness to lie need not threaten the witness.

What is the rule for representing a client?

Rule 4.2 provides that a lawyer “in representing a client” shall not communicate about the subject of the representation with a person the lawyer knows to be represented by another lawyer in the matter —unless the lawyer has the consent of the other lawyer or is authorized by law to do so. See Tx.

Can a lawyer represent an adverse party?

A lawyer who is a party to a legal matter may communicate directly with a represented adverse party without the consent of the adversary’s lawyer. See Prof’l Ethics Cmte. for the State Bar of Tx., Op. No. 653 (Jan. 2016). Rule 4.2 provides that a lawyer “in representing a client” shall not communicate about the subject of the representation with a person the lawyer knows to be represented by another lawyer in the matter—unless the lawyer has the consent of the other lawyer or is authorized by law to do so. See Tx. Rules of Prof’l Cond. R. 4.02 (a); La. Rules of Prof’l Cond. R. 4.2 (a). According to Opinion 653, this rule simply “does not apply to a lawyer who is a party to a lawsuit or transaction but does not represent any other party in the matter.”

Does a lawyer represent any other party in a lawsuit?

According to Opinion 653, this rule simply “does not apply to a lawyer who is a party to a lawsuit or transaction but does not represent any other party in the matter.”. The committee’s opinion is correct. A lawyer who contacts an adversary on the lawyer’s own behalf does so in an individual rather than a representative capacity.

Can a lawyer contact an adversary on his own behalf?

A lawyer who contacts an adversary on the lawyer’s own behalf does so in an individual rather than a representative capacity. The plain language of the rule makes it clear that its prohibition applies only when the lawyer communicates with an adversary while “representing a client.”.

Lying in Court, an Opportunity

Few things are more frustrating, at least in the litigation arena, than when your adversary lies in court. As a lawyer, I see it all of the time. For the most part, I’m immune from the emotional reaction my clients feel. Instead, every time I catch an adverse witness lying, I see it as an opportunity

False Testimony

Of course, we all know that perjury is a criminal offense. Yet, in all of my years of litigation (27), I’ve never seen a witness prosecuted for perjury – even though I have demonstrated hundreds of witnesses’ perjury through cross-examination. I’m sure the district attorney prosecutes these types of cases; I just haven’t seen any.

How We Can Win When Someone Lies

I have good news. My client and I won a case in superior court, and the defendants filed an appeal. In their appeal, the defendants make many false statements to the court – both by pointing to false testimony of the defendants and by their attorney making misrepresentations to the court in his appellate briefs.

What is the current rule to cite directly adverse legal authority?

The current rule to cite directly adverse legal authority is directly tied to the duties of competence and diligence found in Rules 1.1 and 1.3, respectively. “It is a matter of competence to be aware of adverse legal authority,” Jacobowitz notes. “It also is a fundamental requirement in the duty of diligence to be knowledgeable ...

Why don't lawyers cite cases?

However, courts look suspiciously at lawyers who claim that they didn’t cite a case because it is merely tangentially adverse. A federal district court in Maryland referred to this position as a “bold and risky gambit” in Prince George’s County v. Massey (1996), a case in Maryland federal district court.

What is the duty of candor in ABA opinion 280?

The committee reiterated that the duty of candor included the duty to cite to the court directly adverse legal authority. However, the opinion also took a broad view of what type of authorities fall within this ambit: “The test in every case should be: Is the decision which opposing counsel has overlooked one which the court should clearly consider in deciding the case?”

What is the ABA model rule of professional conduct?

The answer may seem counterintuitive to some, but the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides a clear requirement : Attorneys must cite directly adverse legal authority controlling in the court’s jurisdiction. The duty applies even when the attorney on the other side fails to cite such authority. Labeled under the title “Candor Toward the Tribunal,” Model Rule 3.3 (a) (2) reads that “a lawyer shall not knowingly … fail to disclose to the tribunal legal authority in the controlling jurisdiction known to the lawyer to be directly adverse to the position of the client and not disclosed by opposing counsel.”

What is the best practice for an attorney?

The better practice for attorneys is to cite cases that seem to be adverse and then distinguish them. It is far better to do that than to raise the court’s ire or suspicion that the lawyer is being less than candid. The key is that attorneys need to realize their different roles when considering candor toward courts.

Why is disclosure of adverse authority important?

The duty to disclose adverse authority is considered an important one to help judges decide on cases based on precedent —serving the principle of stare decisis.”. The rule is part of the profession’s commitment that attorneys must follow the duty of candor to help the system find the truth.

What is the ABA's original rule?

The rule is not new for the ABA. The ABA’s original ethics rules, the 1908 Canons of Ethics, included Canon 22, which said: “The conduct of the lawyer before the court and with other lawyers should be characterized by candor and fairness.”

It Was Just a Routine Motion

One of the first matters I worked on involved drafting a relatively routine bankruptcy motion to reject a contract for a corporate debtor. After filing and serving the motion, I received a call from counsel to the counterparty to the contract.

How to Prepare for the Inevitable Bully Encounter

If you are a junior lawyer, there are a few things you can do to prepare for your first encounter with a bully.

Desperate Adversaries Can Do Desperate Things

Fast-forward six months from my 2001 incident. I’m hitting my stride — no bully lawyer was going to push me around again! That’s when I encountered a more cunning, stealthy foe.

Be extremely careful in your conversations and correspondence

Assume every word you speak or write will find its way into the court record. Protect your client, and yourself, at all times. Again, be courteous, but leave it up to your adversary to figure out the manner in which he or she should proceed. It’s no fun to see your name in a pleading filed by an adverse party.

Can a DSS lawyer contact opposing counsel?

The DSS lawyer is correct. A party who is represented by counsel cannot be contacted directly by opposing counsel unless that party and opposing counsel expressly authorized direct contact.

Can a lawyer talk to you without your attorney's permission?

That is correct - he should not be talking to you without your attorney's permission.

Can a lawyer talk to you directly?

No, they cannot talk to you directly. All communication has to go through the lawyers in order to protect your rights and attorney-client privilege.

Conflict of Interest

Advocate-Witness Rule

  • Another one of the common grounds for disqualifying an adversary’s lawyer is when an opponent’s counsel may have information or materials relevant to the case. Courts often do not like lawyers to serve as counsel when they may be asked directly by a party for materials or they will have to answer questions under oath related to a matter. This is be...
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Conflict of Interest Waivers

  • An important thing to keep in mind when disqualifying an adversary’s lawyer is that attorneys can sometimes have clients execute a conflict-of-interest waiver to resolve some conflicts. Generally, such waivers must be in writing and must fully disclose all of the conflicts and the potential downsides of continuing the representation despite the conflict. However, some conflicts of inte…
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Standing

  • Another important consideration when disqualifying an adversary’s lawyer is that the party requesting disqualification sometimes needs to have standing to make the request. Courts recognize that parties may wish to disqualify another party’s lawyer to cause disruption in a case and for a variety of other tactical considerations. As a result, courts sometimes narrow the unive…
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