Event
PABA Holds Ethics Seminar on “Conflicts of Interest and the Client Relationship”
January 22, 2009
Roberta S. Hayashi, Berliner Cohen partner and Employment Law Group leader, will present “Avoiding Legal Conflicts of Interest at Every Stage of the Client Relationship” at the Palo Alto Area Bar Association’s luncheon on Thursday, January 22, 2009, at the PAABA office, 405 Sherman Avenue, Palo Alto.
This is a fast-paced one-hour discussion focused on the needs of litigation and transactional attorneys to recognize and address legal conflicts of interest at every stage of the client relationship. The duty of loyalty to the client can be fatally compromised by a conflict of interest. Too often attorneys think that the lack of a conflict of interest at the inception of the attorney-client relationship is enough, or that this ethical problem is limited to the litigation context. While the ability to recognize and avoid a conflict of interest at the time of retention is essential, it is equally important to recognize conflicts created by the addition of new tasks for the client, new parties to the dispute, and changes in the clients business. Effective disclosures, written conflict waivers, and ethical walls may minimize the risk of disqualification and forfeiture of fees.
For more information, please call the PAABA office at (650) 326-8322 or email: info@paaba.org.