Dan Eaton speaks on ethical issues at State Bar Conference
As lawyers, ethics are of the upmost importance to us. SCMV Shareholder Dan Eaton recently spoke on this important issue at the State Bar of California’s Annual Income Tax Seminar in Costa Mesa. Dan covered the topic of “Ethical Issues to Consider When Dealing with Multiple Party Representation” focusing on various issues important to lawyers including whether to move forward with this type of representation and what steps should be taken to protect yourself. According to Dan, “a lawyer who represents more than one party in the same lawsuit or transaction must explain to each party the foreseeable consequences of such a joint representation. If all of the parties the lawyer would represent decide to proceed with the joint representation having been so informed, the lawyer must obtain the written consent of all of his or her clients.” Dan added, “a lawyer’s failure to obtain this informed written consent to the joint representation may lead to the lawyer being disqualified from representing any party in the matter and, potentially, court sanctions or formal State Bar discipline.”