02-02 If a law firm uses a nonlawyer (here, an independent paralegal service)
to assist it in providing legal services to its clients, and other law firms use the same nonlawyer, will conflicts of interest be imputed between the nonlawyer and the law firms?
01-05 A legal assistant, paralegal, or four-year law clerk may not sign court pleadings with an attorney’s name and the paraprofessional’s initials after the attorney’s name.
99-03 With client consent, a supervising attorney may permit a paralegal to conduct a loan closing on behalf of a lender client where the client consents, the paralegal’s role is ministerial in nature, and the attorney is available for questions, at least by telephone.
97-09 Law Firm A may employ a paralegal who formerly was employed by Law Firm B, despite the fact that the two firms are engaged in litigation against each other in a matter in which the paralegal participated for Law Firm B. However, Law Firm A must now screen the paralegal from involvement in the pending litigation and any matter in which the interests of Law Firm B’s client is adverse to any client of Law Firm A. Further, Law Firm A must ensure that no information relating to the representation of the client of Law Firm B is revealed by the paralegal to any person in Law Firm A.
89-04 An attorney may continue to represent plaintiffs when the attorney’s paralegal also works in a Court Diversion program which once processed a brother of the defendant, and the brother’s behavior has some relevance to the current suit. 3 V.S.A. §163 precludes the paralegal from sharing information gathered in the diversion process with the attorney without the relative’s consent; screening the paralegal from further involvement in the case would remove any question of impropriety, but the Code does not strictly apply to the paralegal’s conduct here.
87-15 A law firm which employs a paralegal may represent parties adverse to a paralegal’s spouse in real estate transactions provided full disclosure is made to the client and the paralegal is not allowed to work on those transactions.
79-28 Law firm representing wife in contested divorce, continuing such representation, after it employed a paralegal who had worked 50 hours on this case in law office representing husband
79-13 Names appearing on law firm letterhead
78-02 Firm handling case which employs paralegal who formerly was enrolled in paralegal training clinic which provided representation to an opposing party in litigation handled by the firm