Law Commons^™

Lawyers That (Say They) Listen: An Exploratory Study Into Law Firms With Listening Specific Branding, Kacey Henriques

Honors Theses

The following investigation attempts to explore the communication dynamics between law firms and their clients. As shown in this research, clients tend to make note of poor communication skills, specifically listening skills, when they interact with attorneys. In an attempt to appeal to clients who have had negative interactions in respect to listening, several law firms across the country are utilizing branding that stresses their strengths in listening (what I term listening specific branding). In the investigation to come, three law firms are analyzed that utilize this type of branding. Additionally, three law firms that specialize in similar areas of …

“Listserv Lawyering”: Definition And Exploration Of Its Utility In Representation Of Consumer Debtors In Bankruptcy And In Law Practice Generally, Josiah M. Daniel Iii

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

The author examines the communications and activities of bankruptcy lawyers participating in the listserv of the Bankruptcy Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and finds that those activities constitute a previously unrecognized form of “lawyering,” which he has defined as the work of lawyers in and through the legal system to accomplish the objectives of their clients. Review of specific postings about legal issues and practical problems by Texas bankruptcy lawyers, whose practices are primarily on behalf of individual debtors in cases under Chapters 7 and 13 of the Bankruptcy Code, and observations about the voluntary, collaborative, and …

Contracts: An Eight-Factor Test For Quantum Meruit Compensation For A Dismissed Contingency Fee Counsel—Faricy Law Firm, P.A. V. Api, Inc. Asbestos Settlement Trust, 912 N.W.2d 652 (Minn. 2018), Mitch Ohiwa

Mitchell Hamline Law Review

No abstract provided.

Competing Liabilities: Responding To Evidence Of Child Abuse That Surface During The Attorney-Client Relationship, Alison Beyea

Maine Law Review

Kevin Adams, a practicing attorney in Maine, represents John Brown in a dispute with Brown's landlord. Brown is facing eviction as a result of his inability to pay the rent. Over the course of the representation, Adams has come to believe that Brown is abusing his son. Brown--who is working two jobs but still cannot pay his rent--has told Adams of the incredible pressure he is facing. Brown has admitted that the pressure is getting to him and that he feels bad that he has been “taking it out on the kid.” Brown also told Adams that he had been …

Conflicts Of Interest For Former Law Firm Clerks Turned Lawyers, Daniel Haley

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

There is no consensus for how the legal profession should treat a lawyer who has a conflict that arises from their time working as a law clerk while in law school. The majority of states allow a lawyer to be screened from participation if there is a conflict that arises from work they performed while still in law school. Nonetheless, not all states have adopted the Model Rules, and not all states that have adopted them accept and apply their rules uniformly. Clerkships are beneficial to both the student and the potential employer, and to limit these educational experiences due …

In Defense Of The Devil's Advocate, Lonnie T. Brown Jr.

Hofstra Law Review

Among the many controversial positions for which Monroe Freedman advocated during his illustrious career, the one that I find most surprising and uncharacteristic is his contention that lawyers who undertake morally questionable representations have a duty to explain or justify their choice of client. Specifically, in 1993 Professor Freedman penned a well-known column in the Legal Times — titled “Must You Be the Devil’s Advocate?” — in which he took Professor Michael Tigar to task for his representation of reputed Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk. Professor Freedman tacitly criticized Professor Tigar for his client choice and expressly called upon him …

Talk Don’T Touch? Considerations For Children’S Attorneys On The Physical Touch Of Clients, Andrea L. Dennis

Catholic University Law Review

Forming a positive attorney-client relationship with a child is a complex process that involves many considerations. Although it offers guidance on effectively communicating and creating a safe environment, the legal system has neglected to form appropriate standards governing physical touch of juvenile clients. There are numerous benefits to physical touch of clients. However, a lack of guidance on the appropriate ways to use physical touch creates the risk negative effects will result from the touch. Drawing from the standards of other child-focused professions, this Article provides guidelines for attorneys contemplating using physical touch to develop a positive rapport with child …

Can Negligent Referral To Another Attorney Constitute Legal Malpractice?, Barry R. Temkin

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

In Defense Of The Devil’S Advocate, Lonnie T. Brown

Scholarly Works

mong the many controversial positions for which Monroe Freedman advocated during his illustrious career, the one that I find most surprising and uncharacteristic is his contention that lawyers who undertake morally questionable representations have a duty to explain or justify their choice of client. Specifically, in 1993 Professor Freedman penned a well-known column in the Legal Times — titled “Must You Be the Devil’s Advocate?” — in which he took Professor Michael Tigar to task for his representation of reputed Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk. Professor Freedman tacitly criticized Professor Tigar for his client choice and expressly called upon him …

The Criminal Defense Lawyer's Fiduciary Duty To Clients With Mental Disability, Christopher Slobogin, Amy Mashburn

Amy R. Mashburn

This Article argues that the defense attorney has a multifaceted fiduciary duty toward the client with mental disability. That duty requires, first and foremost, respect for the autonomy of the client. The lawyer shows that respect not only by heeding the wishes of the competent client but by refusing to heed the wishes of the incompetent client. A coherent approach to the competency construct is therefore important. Following the lead of Professor Bonnie, this Article has broken competency into two components: assistance competency and decisional competency. It has defined the former concept in traditional terms, as an understanding of the …

Not So Fast: I Have Been Deprived Of My Right To Counsel, Elias Arroyo

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Municipal Ethics Remain A Hot Topic In Litigation: A 1999 Survey Of Issues In Ethics For Municipal Lawyers, Patricia E. Salkin

Patricia E. Salkin

No abstract provided.

Why Your Secretary Is Really Worth A Million Dollars: Exploring The Harsh Penalty For Not Proofreading Your Fee Agreements In Anglo-Dutch Petroleum V. Greenberg Peden., James M. Parker Jr., J.K. Leonard

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

This Article examines the Texas Supreme Court's decision in Anglo-Dutch Petroleum International, Inc. v. Greenberg Peden, P.C. Next, this Article discusses the decision in light of other cases dealing with attorney-client contract issues. Then, an explanation of why the court's decision is inconsistent with other opinions is provided. This Article next analyzes the long-term effects of the Anglo-Dutch decision and the lessons to be learned from the case about drafting contracts and lawyers' obligations to inform clients of material terms. Finally, this Article suggests that the court's decision decreases the legal protection extended to lawyers and holds them closer to …

The Roles Of Attorneys As Courtroom Experts: Revisiting The Conventional Limitations And Their Exceptions., David S. Caudill

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

This Article examines whether attorneys should be allowed to testify as legal experts, especially in the legal malpractice context. This Article starts by addressing the unclear distinction between questions of law and fact and reviews several recent cases that prohibited expert legal testimony. Next, this Article addresses some general exceptions to the prohibition against expert legal testimony, such as questions of complex and uncertain law. Finally, this Article examines the use of legal experts in legal malpractice cases.

To Catch A Criminal, To Cleanse A Profession: Exposing Deceptive Practices By Attorneys To The Sunlight Of Public Debate And Creating An Express Investigation Deception Exception To The Aba Model Rules Of Professional Conduct, Tory L. Lucas

Faculty Publications and Presentations

“In undertaking the privilege to practice law, I do solemnly swear that I will lie, deceive, misrepresent, and engage in fraud in order to serve my client’s and my own personal interests.”

It is doubtful that any American attorney believes that he or she has sworn such an oath (or openly advocates the use of such an oath for newly sworn attorneys). But does every American attorney share the same understanding of whether attorneys may ethically engage in deception? The issue of attorney deception has not enjoyed a thorough, open discussion necessary for a consistently applied standard on that issue. …

Stress, Burnout, Vicarious Trauma, And Other Emotional Realities In The Lawyer/Client Relationship (Symposium: Lawyering And Its Discontents: Reclaiming Meaning In The Practice Of Law), Marjorie A. Silver, Sanford Portnoy, Jean Koh Peters

Marjorie A. Silver

No abstract provided.

Shifting The Burden Of Proof On Causation In Legal Malpractice Actions., Jeffrie D. Boysen

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

Legal malpractice suits, like any negligence claim, require the plaintiff to meet all of the elements of the malpractice claim. Texas malpractice claims are based on professional negligence. In Texas, the elements a plaintiff must prove in a legal malpractice claim are: "(1) the attorney owed the plaintiff a duty; (2) the attorney breached that duty; (3) the breach proximately caused the plaintiffs injuries; and (4) damages occurred." Most jurisdictions, including Texas, place the burden on the plaintiff to meet all elements of the claim, including causation. However, a significant minority of jurisdictions allow the burden to shift to the …

Team Of Rivals? Toward A New Model Of The Corporate Attorney-Client Relationship, David B. Wilkins

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

Three Lessons For Lawyers, Roger Bernhardt, Christine Tour-Sarkissian

Publications

This article discusses a recent California case illustrating some potential ethical dangers for lawyers as to conflicts of interest, secret profits (while helping a client secure a mortgage loan) and elder abuse claims.

Counseling Organizational Clients "Within The Bounds Of The Law", Roger C. Cramton

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Emergence Of "Law Consultants", Tanina Rostain

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

Taking Cues: Inferring Legality From Others' Conduct, Bruce A. Green

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

After Confidentiality: Rethinking The Professional Responsibilities Of The Business Lawyer, William H. Simon

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

Exploring Disqualification Of Counsel In Texas: A Balancing Of Competing Interests The Fifth Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Rebecca Simmons, Manuel C. Maltos

St. Mary's Law Journal

Uncertainty over conduct which results in disqualification can be costly and the laws relating to disqualification may be widely known but their application is difficult. Rigid application of irrebuttable presumptions and imputation of knowledge may result in disqualification of a client’s chosen counsel. Even if an attorney succeeds in opposing a motion to disqualify, the resulting costs and delay may damage the attorney-client relationship more than if the attorney had simply declined the representation. Motions to disqualify usually arise from conflicts of interest involving former clients. The law of disqualification, in this instance, is well developed and largely based on …

Stress, Burnout, Vicarious Trauma, And Other Emotional Realities In The Lawyer/Client Relationship (Symposium: Lawyering And Its Discontents: Reclaiming Meaning In The Practice Of Law), Marjorie A. Silver, Sanford Portnoy, Jean Koh Peters

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

The Criminal Defense Lawyer's Fiduciary Duty To Clients With Mental Disability, Christopher Slobogin, Amy R. Mashburn

UF Law Faculty Publications

This Article argues that the defense attorney has a multifaceted fiduciary duty toward the client with mental disability. That duty requires, first and foremost, respect for the autonomy of the client. The lawyer shows that respect not only by heeding the wishes of the competent client but by refusing to heed the wishes of the incompetent client. A coherent approach to the competency construct is therefore important. Following the lead of Professor Bonnie, this Article has broken competency into two components: assistance competency and decisional competency. It has defined the former concept in traditional terms, as an understanding of the …

Municipal Ethics Remain A Hot Topic In Litigation: A 1999 Survey Of Issues In Ethics For Municipal Lawyers, Patricia E. Salkin

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Enforcement Of Settlement Contracts: The Problem Of The Attorney Agent, Grace M. Giesel

Grace M. Giesel

The issue of the enforceability of settlement agreements entered into by an attorney on behalf of a client is the subject of much confusing judicial comment. this article urges a return to traditional agency concepts. While not widely accepted in the United States, the position that retention of an attorney creates authority should be viewed as a logical and viable position not inconsistent with other rules of law or ethics.

Corporate-Family Conflicts, Charles W. Wolfram

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Attorney Fee Arrangements: The U.S. And Western Perspectives, Virginia G. Maurer, Robert E. Thomas, Pamela A. Debooth

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This article develops an analytical framework for viewing the rules on attorney fee arrangements that have been adopted in the United States and in major western European countries. In section II the paper explains the choice of economic agency theory as a starting point for developing this framework. Within the meaning of economic agency, the attorney is a dual agent, with duties to both the client and the judicial system. In section III the paper identifies five interests that form the basis for evaluating fee systems. These interests are derived from applying basic agency theory to the duties of the …