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Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Commons

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Jurisprudence

Journal

2006

Conflict of interest

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility

Take The Money Or Run: The Risky Business Of Acting As Both Your Client's Lawyer And Bail Bondsman The Fifth Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Dayla S. Pepi, Donna D. Bloom Jan 2006

Take The Money Or Run: The Risky Business Of Acting As Both Your Client's Lawyer And Bail Bondsman The Fifth Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility., Dayla S. Pepi, Donna D. Bloom

St. Mary's Law Journal

The American Bar Association strongly discourages lawyers from being bondsmen due to the conflicts that can arise when a criminal defense attorney acts as their client's bail bondsman. These same ethical dilemmas can also be encountered in posting a bond for a client in civil matters such as probate, family law, and appeals. In Texas, lawyers are exempt from the requirements of licensure as a bondsmen, including the requirement to maintain a particular level of security to underwrite the bonds. Nonetheless, lawyers are still required to conform to the requirements regulating the practice of bondsmen. It is not enough for …


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 Jan 2006

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 …