If Client Won’t Listen, Withdraw or Write it Down

Lawyers get paid for their professional judgment and advice, but there’s no guarantee clients will heed it.

A lawyer who disagrees with a client should consider whether he should or must withdraw from the representation, a recent opinion from the Philadelphia bar’s ethics committee said.

But when the disagreement is about strategy or settlement terms, the lawyer might be required to do what the client wants, the opinion said. A lawyer in that situation would be wise to document the disagreement in writing, both to the client and in the client’s file.

Withdrawal Analysis

When a disagreement arises with a ...