What constitutes a breach of confidentiality and ethics?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What constitutes a breach of confidentiality and ethics?
My landlord and my attorney are related. I contacted my attorney’s office to request a referral to another lawyer as I knew that would not he be able to advise me ethically due to the nature of their relationship. I was asked what it was in reference to and I explained that I had an issue with my apartment. No other details were discussed. I was given the name of another lawyer and then my landlord was contacted by the original lawyer’s office and told I was filing suit. I was contacted by the superintendent of the building and was told that I was negligent and stupid for contacting a lawyer.
Asked on February 1, 2011 under Business Law, Pennsylvania
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
If you were already a client of that attorney for other matters, then he would likely have had a continuing duty of confidentially vis-a-vis you. That means that while he should in fact have not represented you (even if you wanted him to do so), he should not have divulged your converation to anyone else. So this may well be a case of a breach of ethics for which you could report the attorney to the office of the courts which regulates and licenses attorneys. If you haven't suffered any economic losses or damages (name calling doesn't count), then there'd be no basis for a lawsuit or other compensation. You may also wish to consider whether you need to more generally get another attorney, since this one's judgment and/or ethics seem somewhat suspect.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.