Client Waivers Don’t Always Overcome Conflicts

Conflicts between existing clients vex law firms and in-house counsel alike. They arise in obvious situations where two clients are in an active dispute and can also emerge in grayer areas when their interests diverge.

When firms contemplate merging, potential conflicts are evaluated thoroughly and, when found, can be deal-breakers.

Now, a federal judge in California has waded into this sometimes murky shoal. In a Feb. 13 ruling, Judge Consuelo Marshall disqualified Squire Patton Boggs from representing the plaintiffs in a false-advertising case because legacy firm Patton Boggs counted two of the defendants in the case as clients.

She ruled ...