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| One of two 50% shareholders in a professional corporation becomes a Commonwealth's Attorney. As long as the lawyer continues to own the stock, the lawyer may not prosecute defendants represented by the former firm (at least as to prosecutions begun after the lawyer left the firm). Consent would not cure this conflict, because the Commonwealth's Attorney is a "constitutional officer elected by the public." An Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney may prosecute such defendants, because DR 5-101(A) contains no vicarious disqualification provision. The firm may defend cases brought by the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office only if its clients consent after full disclosure. If the Commonwealth's Attorney learned confidences from any criminal defendant while at the former firm, a special prosecutor must prosecute the cases. |