Abstract
Apart from the substance of a transaction or dispute, what factors should inform the decision to choose or work with a particular lawyer or client? This article, born of a series of conferences on the subject, deals with conflicts of interest, lawyer-client communication, attorney-client privilege, retainers, due diligence, engagement letters and whether lawyers can engage in alternative business structures other than partnerships. These are all pressing topics relating to law practice as we approach the end of the first quarter of the 21st century.
Highlights
There could be nothing more important than having high moral and ethical standards as a legal practitioner and judge (The Right Honourable Sir Dennis Byron, former President of the Caribbean Court of Justice at the Graduation at Hugh Wooding Law School, 2013).For two consecutive years, 2014 and 2015, conferences were held at the University of The Bahamas under the theme “How to Choose and Work with Lawyers and Clients.” Partners included the Council of Legal Education, Eugene Dupuch Law School, and selected law firms and lawyers
The organizers aspired to shape this event into an opportunity to engage practitioners, students and the public in the region as a whole
While ethics are fundamental to the practice of law, they can sometimes be dull and even boring; the event set out to marry ethics with more alluring topics, such as law firm management, in order to convey vital, practical information
Summary
There could be nothing more important than having high moral and ethical standards as a legal practitioner and judge (The Right Honourable Sir Dennis Byron, former President of the Caribbean Court of Justice at the Graduation at Hugh Wooding Law School, 2013). 2014 and 2015, conferences were held at the University of The Bahamas under the theme “How to Choose and Work with Lawyers and Clients.”. The organizers aspired to shape this event into an opportunity to engage practitioners, students and the public in the region as a whole. This paper aims to give a broad overview of a sample of practice issues, such as (1) conflicts of interest, (2) lawyer-client communication, (3) engagement letters and billing, (4) “clients from hell,” and a day in the life of an associate. The paper touches on other questions, notably: can lawyers in the region (e.g., Bahamas, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago) organize themselves in limited liability companies, instead of partnerships? This paper is an overview not intended to deal with each topic exhaustively but to spark discussion and debate
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