Over the last several months, your team has spent long days and nights preparing for trial. Reviewing documents, meeting with the client and drafting motions in limine as the trial date inches closer. On the weekend before trial kicks off, you feel ready. Then life throws a curve ball and something unexpected knocks you off course. It could be a phone call about a family member being admitted to the hospital. It could be the need to re-shuffle child or elder car—or that ominous tickle in the throat you get right before getting sick. Perhaps it is stress or another mental health issue that needs immediate attention.

Such developments can be challenging, especially for attorneys who may have additional concerns about whether their ability to fulfill ethical duties could be implicated. Under any scenario involving compromised physical or mental health over the short or long term, lawyers may need to consider their obligations to disclose it to the clients and the court.