道德意见230

Assertion of 保留留置权s; Preservation of Confidences and Secrets of Trust Client in Dispute Between Former Co-trustee and Successor Trust

1991年1月生效，规则1.8(i) prohibits an attorney from asserting a retaining lien as to the property of a client in his possession. An attorney whose client requests return of property in the attorney's possession after January, 1991 must return the property even if the attorney's initial assertion of a retaining lien respecting the property occurred prior to January, 1991 and therefore was proper under the District of Columbia Code of Professional Responsibility.

信托的澳门赌场官网不得向前受托人透露机密通讯, 不顾现任理事的反对, 规则1允许的情况除外.6.

适用的规则

• 1.16(d)(终止代理)
• 1.8(i)(客户文件的保留)
• 1.6(客户保密)

调查

在12月, 1988, Inquirer was retained by one of two co-trustees ("Trustee A") to represent a trust located outside the District of Columbia. 询问者在不动产交易结束时担任信托公司的澳门赌场官网, and was co-trustee under the promissory note securing the deferred purchase money deed of trust. 询问者交付了结案文件的副本, 两张1美元的递延购买本票副本.500万美元和100美元,000, 还有一份150美元的副本,000 letter of credit to the Trust settlors and to another co-trustee ("Trustee B") of the trust.

1989年初, 在会见信托调解人之后, 询问者断定他不能再代表信托了. Inquirer orally advised the trust settlors as well as Trustee A and Trustee B of his intention to withdraw, 并以书面形式确认了这一决定. 询问者已采取适当步骤，代表信托退出所有事务, including petitioning the District of Columbia Superior Court to permit him to withdraw as counsel for the trust in three other pending actions and drafting the papers necessary for his removal as trustee under the note securing the deed of trust in the real estate transaction.

该信托仍未支付付给询问者的约14 000美元的费用. 询问者对委托人的档案主张留置权, 包括本票正本和信用证正本, 并拒绝了几次交出文件的请求, 等待满意的付款安排. 最近一次要求查阅这些档案是在1992年1月.

In June, 1991, Trustee B sought judicial instructions with respect to payment of $76,624.付给包括询问者在内的5家澳门赌场官网事务所16美元的澳门赌场官网费. 受托人随后对受托人B提起诉讼, 声称受托人B已违反其受托责任, 招致未经授权的法律费用, 信托资产管理不善, 滥用信托基金.

Apparently after Trustee B sought instructions from the court as to payment of the legal fees, 调解人终止了信托，建立了第二个信托, 根据该协议，受托人A和调解人共同担任受托人. 受托人将最初信托的全部资产分配给继承人信托.

Trustee B has advised Inquirer that his deposition may be taken in the pending litigation, and that it believes that information disclosed to Inquirer by Trustee A during the course of the professional relationship is not confidential as against Trustee B. 受托人A不同意.

讨论

保留留置权
The first question presented by the inquiry is whether assertion of a retaining lien is proper under the circumstances presented. 直到1月1日, 1991, the propriety of Inquirer's assertion of a retaining lien under the District of Columbia Code of Professional Responsibility was clear beyond any serious dispute.¹

《澳门赌场官方软件》也同样明确, 但需要一个相反的结论:

与任何代理终止有关, a lawyer shall take timely steps to the extent reasonably practicable to protect a client's interests, 例如给予客户合理的通知, 留出时间聘请其他澳门赌场官网, 交出委托人有权拥有的文件和财产，并退还任何尚未赚取的预付款. 澳门赌场官网可在规则1允许的范围内保留与委托人有关的文件.8(i).

The inquiry suggests no basis for concluding that the client is not "entitled" to the papers and property in his possession, 但因委托人未支付澳门赌场官网费而引起的留置权除外.²

关于留置权，规则1.8(i)是明确的:

澳门赌场官网不得留置委托人的任何部分档案, 除了澳门赌场官网自己的工作成果, 然后只有在工作产品没有被支付的范围内. 当客户无法支付时，此工作产品例外不适用, or when withholding the lawyer's work product would present a significant risk to the client of irreparable harm.

规则1的注释.8(i) emphasize that it was intended to create only a "narrow exception" to the general rule stated in 规则1.16(d), which "requires a lawyer to surrender papers and property to which the client is entitled when representation of the client terminates.规则1.评论[8]. 只有澳门赌场官网自己的工作成果——事实调查的结果, 法律研究与分析, 澳门赌场官网自己努力制作的类似材料也可以保留,规则1.8、评论[9], and then only if the client was able to pay and not facing jail or other serious and irreparable harm, 规则1.8、评论[10].³

因此, without questioning the propriety of Inquirer's initial assertion of the retaining lien in accordance with the provisions of the Code, 我们的结论是哥伦比亚特区职业行为规则, 自1月1日起生效, 1991, 禁止拒付原始本票和信用证, 以及文件中不是询问者工作产品的任何其他文档, 作为对一月后的回应, 前客户1991年的请求. 规则1.8、评论[9].⁴

客户的机密和秘密

调查提出的第二个问题是规则1是否.6 precludes the disclosure of communications between Trustee A and Inquirer to Trustee B, 不顾受托人B的继任者受托人的反对. 询问者是信托的顾问，而不是个别受托人的顾问. We presume that the "assets" transferred to the successor trust included the right to assert any claim of privilege. 参见商品期货交易委员会. 温特劳布, 471 U.S. 343, 348-58 (1985). 相应的, 询问者对信托负有义务, and he can disclose the communications only with the consent of his client or its successor, 通过其授权代理人行事.

We assume that Trustee B would have been entitled to know what had been said to the Inquirer during the time that Trustee B was a co-trustee of the trust. 调解人终止了最初的信托, 有效地取消受托人B作为该信托的受托人的资格, and therefore terminated any power Trustee B might otherwise have had to demand disclosure of the privileged communications between Inquirer and the Trust acting through Trustee A.

未经继承人同意的信托, 询问者不得泄露原委托人的秘密, 除非在规则1所述的情况下.6 (d)，这些似乎都不适用于这里.

调查没有. 92-6-14
通过:1992年9月15日

1. 见规则5-103(A), District of Columbia Code of Professional Responsibility; Opinion 59 (undated); Opinion 90 (1980). 一般见第107号意见. 27, 1981); Opinion 103 (1981). 事实上, the propriety of Inquirer’s assertion of a retaining lien under the Code was confirmed by the Vice Chair of this Committee by letter dated September 14, 1989, 并于10月2日再次由助理大澳门赌场官网, 1990, dismissing a complaint filed against the Inquirer in connection with his retention of the files.
2. 哥伦比亚特区上诉法院的命令, adopting the 职业行为准则 states “that with respect to conduct occurring before January 1, 1991, the provisions of the Code of Professional Responsibility in effect on the date of the conduct in question are the governing rules of decision for this court, 专业责任委员会, 其听证委员会, 和澳门赌场官网澳门赌场官网.订单号. m - 165 - 88(3月. 1, 1990). The “conduct in question” here is the attorney’s refusal to turn over the documents in response to his client’s post-January, 1991请求. 因此，《澳门赌场官网》不适用.
3. 所谓的约旦委员会特别拒绝了美国澳门赌场官网协会提出的示范规则1.8(j), which would have continued the general approval of retaining liens expressed in the Model Code, 并以规则1的措词代替.8(i)上文所述. 注释[9]和[10]，它们广泛地解释了规则1.并强调规则1的有限适用范围.8(i)，由哥伦比亚特区澳门赌场官网公会理事会增加.
4. 调查没有发现任何事实表明客户无力付款, 而不是不情愿. Nor is there anything to suggest that the former client faces any risk of irreparable harm.