ABA-455
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| Lawyers moving from one firm to another and law firms that hire them cannot rely on any specific rule allowing the exchange of information about clients necessary for a conflicts analysis, but may exchange such otherwise protected information -- although the disclosure "should be no greater than reasonably necessary to accomplish the purpose of detection and resolution of conflicts of interest." The exception in Rule 1.6 for disclosure "impliedly authorized" to represent a client does not apply, because the disclosures by the moving lawyer and the hiring law firm do not serve the client's interests. The exception in Rule 1.6 for disclosures necessary to "comply with other law" does not apply, because the exception refers to law, not ethics rules. Although client consent would resolve any issue, obtaining the consent normally is impractical. However, the ethics rules are "rules of reason," and the recent rule change allowing the screening of lateral hires to avoid imputed disqualification highlights the permissibility of basic conflicts data disclosure that necessarily precedes such a lateral hire. In some situations, neither the moving lawyer nor the firm can disclose privileged information when the disclosure would "prejudice a client or former client" -- as with a planned hostile takeover, contemplated divorce, etc. In other situations, it will quickly become apparent that conflicts will prevent the firm from hiring the moving lawyer -- such as situations in which there are "numerous existing matters" involving conflicts, or the law firm and the potential lateral hire "regularly represent commonly antagonistic groups." Thus, "conflicts information normally should not be disclosed when conversations concerning potential employment are initiated, but only after substantive discussions have taken place." If checking for conflicts will require a "fact intensive analysis of information beyond just the persons and issues involved in a representation" (as when analyzing the "substantial relationship" between a current and former representation, the law firm might be able to analyze conflicts by obtaining information other than from the moving lawyer. If not, the moving lawyer must seek the client's consent to disclose such detailed information, or rely on the new Rule 1.10 provision permitting screening of lateral hires to avoid imputed disqualification. The law firm receiving any confidential information as part of the conflicts analysis should limit use of the information "to the detection and resolution of conflicts of interest, and dissemination of conflicts information should be restricted to those persons assigned to or involved in the conflicts analysis with respect to a particular lawyer." |