Are you interested in knowing, “What is a lawyer’s duty to their client?” A lot of people want to know how a lawyer can help them before hiring them.
Lawyers are bound by some ethics and a professional code of conduct in the discharge of their duties. This includes their duty to the profession, their duty to clients, and their duty to other lawyers.
Whichever case it is, lawyers are expected to live above board at all times.
The Duty of a Lawyer to Their Client
Here are the top five duties of a lawyer to their clients:
Duty to Accept Briefs
It’s the duty of a lawyer to accept briefs from their clients, provided that the appropriate legal fees are paid or agreed upon. Usually, such briefs may include making an appearance in court on behalf of the client. However, there are a few exceptions to this duty, for example, where the lawyer has a personal interest or conflict of interest in a matter or is acting on religious grounds.
Duty to Take Instructions
A lawyer is expected to take full instructions from a client so as to fully understand the situation and be able to gather all the relevant information even before providing legal advice to their client. It’s equally a lawyer’s obligation to listen attentively to their client and follow their directions; failure to do so could result in an otherwise avoidable legal battle between the two. It’s imperative that you tell your lawyer the truth and nothing but the truth about the facts of your case so as not to mislead them and produce a negative outcome.
Duty to Investigate a Matter
A lawyer shouldn’t take whatever you tell them hook, line, and sinker. Instead, they should understand the crux of the matter so as to try to find out the truth. That’s why they usually interview potential witnesses for their client or the opposing side. Without a thorough investigation, a lawyer will definitely be bereft of the basic facts needed to handle a case successfully.
Duty to Maintain Confidentiality
Your lawyer owes you a duty of confidentiality. They should at no time discuss your communications with anyone, not even with the police or the court. However, there are a few situations where lawyers can divulge certain information about their clients, for example, where a law requires them to do so, where it could prevent a criminal offense, or where either your own safety or someone else’s is at risk.
Duty to Appear in Court
Last but not least, it’s your lawyer’s duty to represent you in court when the occasion calls for it. As officers in the temple of justice, they mustn’t shy away from such a responsibility, but they should ensure that they discharge it effectively by putting the interests of their clients first. Anything short of it can spell doom for their clients.
The top five duties of a lawyer to their clients include the duty to accept briefs, take instructions, investigate a matter, maintain confidentiality, and appear in court. We hope this does answer your question, “What is a lawyer’s duty to their client?”
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