when does city attorney representation of people end

When does a lawyer have to continue representation?

Jan 01, 2011 · She can be reached at (559) 579-1924 or [email protected] . City governance is based on myriad complex laws, and so is the city attorney’s role. Attorneys must comply with the California State Bar’s extensive Rules of Professional Conduct, often referred to as “duties.”. An attorney who violates the rules may be disciplined or even ...

How does a city attorney serve the city?

The Specialist Law Firm City Attorney: There are entire law firms that do nothing but provide city attorney services to Texas cities. In most cases, a city using such a firm will appoint one of the firm’s attorneys as the designated attorney for the city, though the person is not an actual employee of the city.

How should a city attorney respond to a request for legal advice?

or a combination of both. Ultimately, your attorney is a member of your city team and a valuable resource. Here are 11 tips for working effectively with your city attorney, and getting the most out of the relationship. 1. Remember: The City Is the Client First things first: A city attorney does not represent any indi-

When is a lawyer not allowed to represent a client?

Jan 03, 2022 · Attorneys who do one type of case or transaction multiple times are the most likely to charge fixed fees. For example, an attorney may charge a client $500 for handling a traffic ticket case. The representation agreement should include terms that do not allow the attorney to charge more than the agreed-upon amount for this type of arrangement.

Can a lawyer deny representation?

Yes — a lawyer may, generally speaking, refuse to represent a client for any reason they choose (or no reason at all), even (in most jurisdictions) reasons that would be otherwise illegal for someone providing a public service to refuse for (such as racial, ethnic, religious, gender, or other reasons).

What does a City lawyer do?

The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city attorney generally handles civil cases, advising the city on legal matters and representing it in court.

Do cities have attorney client privilege?

2: Does the individual City official hold the privilege when the City Attorney provides him/her confidential advice? Brief Answer: Individual Councilmembers do not hold the attorney-client privilege when the City Attorney provides them advice.May 3, 2017

Who is the district attorney in Seattle?

Seattle, Washington, U.S. Daniel T. Satterberg (born May 7, 1960) is an American attorney and politician serving as the prosecuting attorney of King County, Washington, United States, an office he has held since 2007.

Are City lawyers rich?

You're not going to be rich technically yes, on paper and compared to the national average salary, lawyers are well paid. A City trainee solicitor starts on a salary of £36-40k per year and jumps to £60-70k once they are fully qualified (which takes two years).Apr 23, 2015

What does a City law director do?

The Law Director serves as Chief Counsel to the City's management team relative to negotiating and interpreting collective bargaining agreements, performs and directs negotiating strategy and advises the management team on all applicable public employee laws and regulations.Oct 10, 2018

Who is the client of a government lawyer?

The government lawyer's client properly understood is an elected official or, in certain cases, an agency head with legal authority independent of elected officials. As a general matter, through elections or law, the people have chosen these individuals - and not the government lawyer - to represent their interests.

When was the last time Seattle elected a Republican?

Seattle, Washington, U.S. James d'Orma Braman (December 23, 1901 – August 21, 1980) was an American politician who served as the 45th mayor of Seattle, Washington from 1964 to 1969. To date, Braman was the last Republican to serve as Mayor of Seattle.

What does the city attorney do in Seattle?

The Seattle City Attorney is a non-partisan elected official in Seattle, Washington whose job is to "prosecute people for misdemeanor offenses, defend the city against lawsuits, and gives legal advice to the city". Since 2022, the position has been held by Ann Davison.

How long do Seattle City Council members serve?

four-yearA: Councilmembers serve four-year terms. Positions 8 and 9, the at-large positions, are on the same election cycle as the Mayor and City Attorney. Positions 1 through 7 are elected two years later.

What Should a Lawyer Explain to Constituents?

Based on the opinions in MetLife Demutualization and Seward & Kissel, we know that the policyholders of a mutual insurance company, the stockholders of a corporation, and the limited partners of a limited partnership are not a lawyer’s clients merely because the lawyer represents the corporation or the partnership.

How Does a Law Firm Check for Conflicts?

If Judge Rakoff’s expansive (and I think wrongheaded) view of corporate clients in GSI Commerce Solutions is accepted, then checking for conflicts may not be too difficult — any wholly owned subsidiary of a corporate client is automatically a client because “its liabilities directly impact” the parent’s bottom line. But that was just dicta.

Conclusion: Large and Small Problems of Client Identity

The discussion in this article suggests that the problems of client identity are sometimes easy and sometimes hard.

How long do lawyers keep advertisements?

A. A lawyer or law firm must retain copies of all advertisements for a period of not less than three years following initial dissemination, except that copies of advertisements contained in a computer-accessed communication shall be retained for not less than one year. Rule 7.1 (k).

What is a lawyer of counsel in New York?

A. A New York law firm may designate as “of counsel” a lawyer who is licensed to practice law in New York but resides and practices law mainly in a foreign country provided that the “of counsel” designation satisfies three conditions. See N.Y. City Formal Op. 2013-3.

Is fee splitting an associate or partner?

A. Under Rule 1.5 (g), fee splitting between lawyers who are neither partners nor associates is subject to certain limitations. The rule does not address fee splitting in the context of an “of counsel” relationship. Nonetheless, the Committee has concluded that where an “of counsel” lawyer is to receive a percentage of the fees paid by a client directly to the affiliated lawyer or law firm, the “of counsel” lawyer should be deemed an associate for purposes of the rule and the limitations do not apply. See N.Y. City Formal Op. 1996-8 n.2; see also Gold v. Katz, 193 A.D. 2d 566, 566 (1st Dep’t 1993) (upholding fee splitting arrangement where “plaintiff, although listed as ‘Of Counsel’ to the firm, nevertheless had a ‘fixed link’ to it as one who ‘regularly participate [d]’ in its work, and thus should be deemed an ‘associate’ of the firm not subject to the prohibition against fee splitting”).

What is Rule 7.1?

A. Rule 7.1 governs attorney advertisements. Attorney advertising may not contain a statement or claim that is false, deceptive or misleading, or that otherwise violates any Rule. Rule 7.1 (a).

Can a lawyer disclose confidential information of a former client?

Under Rule 1.9 (c) (2), a lawyer may not reveal confidential information of the former client protected by Rule 1.6 except as the Rules otherwise permit or require with respect to a current client.

What is an advertisement in law?

Under the Rules of Professional Conduct, an advertisement is a public or private communication made by, or on behalf of, a lawyer or law firm, about that lawyer or law firm’s services, the primary purpose for which is the retention of the lawyer or law firm. Rule 1.0 (a).

Can a lawyer write for publication?

A. Communications to existing clients or other lawyers are not advertisements. Rule 1.0 (a). A lawyer may write for publication on legal topics (or speak publicly) without affecting the right to accept employment so long as the lawyer does not undertake to give individual advice. Rule 7.1 (r).

What is the rule for a lawyer who represents two or more clients?

Settlement raises a number of difficult issues when representing multiple plaintiffs. Rule 1.8 (g) provides that: "A lawyer who represents two or more clients shall not participate in making an aggregate settlement of the claims of or against the clients . . . unless each client consents after consultation, including disclosure of the existence and nature of all the claims . . . involved and of the participation of each person in the settlement." See Rule 1.8. Under Model Rule 1.2 (a), a lawyer must abide by a client's decisions concerning the objectives of representation and whether to accept an offer of settlement.

What is the problem implicated by successive representation?

The problem implicated by successive representation is the potential for the use of confidences gained from a former client to the detriment of that client. A related problem is the failure to use information favorable to the present client in order to protect the confidentiality of the former client.

What are the ABA model rules?

The ABA Model Rules, as for most other ethics standards, permit multiple representation of non-adverse clients, provided that there is suitable informed consent in advance. The ABA Model Rules further require that the lawyer reasonably believe that multiple representation will not adversely affect the lawyer's ability to adequately represent each client. The issues that typically arise in multiple representation situations are: (1) the potential existence of conflicts in the joint representation, how to minimize them, and obtain informed consent; (2) the nature of informed consent needed; (3) issues arising from the joint settlement of plaintiffs' claims; and (4) the attorney's obligations if conflicts arise subsequent to obtaining informed consent to the multiple representation. The analogous ethical conflicts that may arise in employment discrimination class actions are not discussed here, but have been recently summarized by Mersol. See G.V. Mersol, "Ethical Issues in Class Action Employment Litigation," 20 Labor Lawyer 55 (2004).

What is the ethical issue in settlement negotiations?

An important ethical issue that can arise during settlement negotiations occurs when a settlement agreement precludes an attorney from using information acquired in one case in future litigation involving other clients or otherwise restricts an attorney's ability to practice law. Given that cases are more likely to be settled than go to trial, it is imperative that employment litigators be aware of these and other pitfalls that may occur in settlement. See generally American Bar Ass'n, Section of Litigation, Ethical Guidelines for Settlement Negotiations (2002).

Can an outside counsel represent both a defendant employer and its managerial or supervisory employees who are also individual defendants?

The issue of whether in-house or outside counsel can represent both a defendant employer and its managerial or supervisory employees who are also individual defendants, which frequently occurs in other legal contexts (e.g., white collar defense and securities derivatives litigation), has become increasingly important in employment discrimination litigation.

Can a lawyer represent a client?

In such situations a lawyer can only represent the client if the lawyer "reasonably believes" the representation will not be affected, the representation is not prohibited by law, there are no client conflicts, and each client gives informed consent in writing.