Lawyers Having Affairs with Clients

You know the rule, but one lawyer is raising a challenge with an interesting argument:

Many lawyers have found themselves in disciplinary trouble after entering into romantic relationships with clients. A Connecticut lawyer facing disciplinary inquiry for a romantic entanglement with a client has raised a novel argument: the bar should not discipline lawyers who represent lovers, because a lawyer will provide better representation to one he or she loves. As Zenas Zelotes puts it, “You aggravate a client, maybe you lose their business. You aggravate a sweetheart; you’re sleeping on the couch.”

The case is still going on. I suspect that the  lawyer in question has an uphill struggle. Here’s more of the story from the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

(ljs)