Ethical Issues for the Legal Assistant

June 21, 2007

By Richard A. Cohn
Partner, Aitken * Aitken * Cohn

• Attorney – Client Privilege
• Initial Contact with clients commences the attorney-client relationship
• Communication with clients – the essentials
• Prohibition against the “practice of law” by non-attorneys
• Fee splitting with non-attorneys – prohibited.
• Client Privacy Issues
• Private Health Information of Clients
• Conflicts of Interest Among Clients
  • Multiple Plaintiffs
  • Spouses
  • Minors
• Communication with opposing side’s witnesses and experts
• Attorney Work Product Privilege
• Statutes of Limitation and other deadlines

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Santa Ana, California 92707
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rich@aitkenlaw.com