I recently found out after my husband and I reconciled that his attorney was golfing buddies with my attorney. I also found out that they also went to college together. I used my attorney for a TPO case against me and also I filed one against my husband. When speaking to my lawyer I began to get a strange feeling that he was working against me instead of for me. So, I dismissed him and hired another lawyer. In conversation with my husband I am finding out he also has spoken to my lawyer on the phone. My lawyer never mentioned to me that he spoke with my husband nor did he mention to me that he was friends with my husbands attorney. In addition, I have someone else that has given me information about my attorney cancelling court dates to play golf when the weather is nice.
No, because many lawyers who handle the same types of cases in the same courtroom are personal friends, know each other from law school, serve on the same Bar committees, go to the same events, and so on. Whether there is an ethical violation depends on what actually happened in your case, not what you feel could have happened. The things you mention such as rumors of golf are not, on their face, ethical violations.
David Michael LawlerFamily Law AttorneyDacula, GA ·
An attorney is not under any ethical obligation to inform you of his relationship with another attorney unless you specifically ask.
In practice, I find that if I am friends with the other attorney, the case tends to go much smoother, resulting in lower cost to the client.
I've practiced 34+ years and have obviously developed friendships with many lawyers and know many more well. That's an advantage for you and not a disadvantage, as it encourages both sides to work towards a resolution of the case and avoids situations where your legal bills escalate and representation suffers because the lawyers do not communicate well. So I see no ethical problem in your case. Indeed I'd want to hire a lawyer who did get along well with fellow lawyers.
No
lawyers who handle the same types of cases in the same courts are often personal friends, know each other from law school, serve on the same Bar committees or go to the same events, etc If you dont like it hire another lawyer with no personal connections
