Bar 4-1.1. A lawyer must provide competent representation to a client. Competent representation requires the legal knowledge, skill, thoroughness, and preparation reasonably necessary for the representation.
Professional Ethics: Most legal ethical codes strongly discourage or outright prohibit lawyers from engaging in romantic relationships with clients during representation. This is to maintain professional boundaries and ensure that the lawyer-client relationship is based solely on the client's legal needs.
A lawyer's reasonable belief that evidence is false does not preclude its presentation to the trier of fact. The rule generally recognized is that, if necessary to rectify the situation, an advocate must disclose the existence of the client's deception to the court.
The one-satisfaction rule is a common law principle that a plaintiff should only recover once for a particular injury, thereby preventing overcompensation of the plaintiff for their injury. Thus, a plaintiff who fully recovers from one tortfeasor may not recover more damages from a joint tortfeasor.
Applicability of the rule prohibiting communication with a represented person. (d) Criminal or Fraudulent Conduct. A lawyer shall not counsel a client to engage, or assist a client, in conduct that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know is criminal or fraudulent.
Under Rule 4-1.6, a lawyer may only disclose information relating to the representation if the lawyer has the client's informed consent or one of the exceptions stated in subdivisions (b) or (c) applies.
In the overcrowded conditions of most courthouses, attorneys can be seen meeting with their clients in public-waiting areas, the cafeteria, the law library, in the back of courtrooms, in telephone booths, or any place that is available.
Professional Ethics: Most legal ethical codes strongly discourage or outright prohibit lawyers from engaging in romantic relationships with clients during representation. This is to maintain professional boundaries and ensure that the lawyer-client relationship is based solely on the client's legal needs.
The establishment of the attorney-client relationship involves two elements: a person seeks advice or assistance from an attorney; and the attorney appears to give, agrees to give or gives the advice or assistance.
Preman, 911 S.W. 2d 288, 301 (Mo. App. 1995) ("The relation between attorney and client is fiduciary and binds the attorney to a scrupulous fidelity to the cause of the client which precludes the attorney from any personal advantage from the abuse of that reposed confidence. . . .