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Is it unethical for a law firm to continue to represent a person for free through legal aid after they find out she has money?

Business 2 views 3 answers
My boyfriend was accused of stalking his ex-wife. He was in a DC court for weeks defending himself. His atty fees were over $45,000. His ex lied to free legal aid and said she had no money. It came out during the hearing that she was awarded six figures by my ex through the divorce settlement. The law firm continued to represent her. Thankfully, he was found innocent. Is it not unethical for a law firm to continue to represent her? What is the protocol? Does the atty representing her have to report back to the firm that she actually had money, or is it irrelevant? It's upsetting she can abuse the system this way and there seems to be no repercussions. I spoke to DC free legal aid and they have no screening requirement. Can anyone be held accountable for this? Can he sue someone for his atty fees? Thanks.

Attorney Answers

3
Eliot Wolf ·
It would not be illegal or unethical to represent a client who made a material misrepresentation about their net worth in this circumstance.
0 upvotes
Jason Thomas ·
If there's a legal option here, it probably won't have to do with your boyfriend's ex-wife's situation with her lawyer. Even if she did shyst her lawyer, that's between her, her lawyer, and her lawyer's firm. If your boyfriend wants to ask about his legal options from here, he should talk to his attorney. Your boyfriend's attorney will be considerably better informed about the case and your boyfriend's situation than we are.
0 upvotes
Brandon Robinson ·
I do not think it would have been unethical for the firm to keep representing her, although it would be unethical on the part of the ex-wife to misrepresent or fail to disclose material truths about her financial means. The firm might have even believed that it had an obligation to stay in the case, perhaps under a conjecture that withdrawing abruptly from the case at a critical point might impair the client's interests. If the firm wants to take this up with the ex-wife, it certain could if nondisclosure or misrepresentation induced the firm into representing her based on her false assurances. Thanks for your question.
0 upvotes

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