Many attorneys have some sort of personal relationships with their clients. Many consider their clients to be good or even close friends. Others may be related by blood or marriage to their clients. More rare is the personal relationship between attorney and client that is romantic or sexual in nature. These are the stories that sometimes make the press: media outlets may highlight those scintillating stories laying out the details of intimate relationships between attorneys and clients. In addition to potentially harming these lawyers’ reputation and ability to practice, these relationships can create non-trivial exposure for the attorneys’ law firm and partners.
The circumstances in which an attorney may be punished for his or her personal relationships with clients vary by jurisdiction. Some states have something akin to a ban on attorneys and clients beginning romantic relationships. In Texas, courts have looked with disapproval on family law attorneys engaging in intimate relationships with their clients that they represent during a divorce proceeding. In another instance, where an attorney had an affair with his client’s wife, the court found the attorney’s actions were “abhorrent for a member of our profession.” The State bar association disciplined the attorney for that conduct.
