Examples of Ethical Violations from your Attorney
A lawyer is held to very high standards by the bar association and those they work with. This includes a code of ethical standards, failure of which to uphold can result in allegations of legal malpractice. When a lawyer acts recklessly and it impacts those they work with it is considered malpractice.
There are a few different types of malpractice, including ethical failures. The state in which a lawyer practices dictate the standards of malpractice and the below examples apply to California Law.
There are two ethical violations that appear most frequently. These are a Lack of Client Communication and Conflict of interest
Lack of Client Communication:
Lawyers have an obligation to communicate important information about a case to their clients. Specifically, the CRPC requires a lawyer to keep their clients “reasonably informed” as their case develops.
Conflict of Interest:
CRPC rules oblige a lawyer to disclose any personal connections or interests in a case. This may arise during any case in which the lawyer knows someone on the opposition or has a vested interest that conflicts with their client’s interests.
These are two prevalent forms of ethical violations. If a lawyer appears to be in violation of their ethical responsibility, their behavior can be reported to the California State Bar, who will investigate the allegation. Ethics violations can turn into legal malpractice claims if the event is especially egregious.
