Twice now it seems Legal Aid lawyers have blatantly handed my confidential medical/private info to the opponents when I asked them if I had a case for 1) medical malpractice and 2) landlord-tenant harm, losing me any chance of defense in both cases then saying "no we don't think you have a case" AFTER saying "yes we'll look into it and will protect your rights tell us all about what happened to you". Abuse of lawyer/client privileged info even tho no written contracts? 2nd time I asked them to sign an ethics agreement and they said "we follow the bar's standard ethics of course." But I found emails they sent to MDs & Llord that they did not even cc me on or send me /give me on paper even later when I asked for my complete file even when closed AFTER hearings set, no 'discovery' or advice?
You ask one overarching question which I will recast as "Are lawyers within organizations which provide free legal services held to the same Disciplinary Rules as lawyers who practice privately for fees?" I feel comfortable in saying "In all 50 States and the District of Columbia, 'Yes'."
Talking about two different cases you wanted to BRING, you talk about the conduct "losing me any chance of defense..." If I understand correctly, you weren't defending anything. You wanted to sue.
On the medical malpractice case, I can't imagine the Legal Aid Society would have even kept your med mal info. They don't do that kind of work. They would have suggested you get a personal injury/malpractice lawyer. On the landord/Tenant case, I have no clue what information would be confidential. There is nothing privileged about a landlord/tenant relationship. If you mean you lost the element of surprise, you'd have had to have given the information up in discovery anyhow.
I would suggest the following. Go in, in person, pursuant to an appointment. Talk to the director of the Legal Aid Group and share your concerns, one by one, slowly and rationally, If he or she can't satisfy you that confidences were breached, then go ahead and make a bar complaint.
But, please, be ready to explain with much more clarity than you have here. You kind of have a jumble of issues conflated.
I am sorry for your consternation and wish you the best.
I agree with Mr. Cameron. If a Legal Aid lawyer does something unethical, he or she is covered by the same Bar rules and laws as all the rest of the lawyers. You can report them to the Bar and you can ask that they give you all documents and emails in their possession pertinent to your case. You could also go to the senior attorney who runs the office these attorneys were in and seek help from there.
