Blurred Lines 2015Blurred Lines 2015

Lawyers, particularly those practicing in the trusts and estates area, often develop relationships with their clients that go well beyond the boundaries of the conventional lawyer-client relationship. Such extraprofessional interactions may take one or more forms, including friendships, as well as family, romantic and business relationships. In many cases, the extraprofessional relationship between the lawyer and the client is mutually advantageous to both parties, and no harm is caused by it. Indeed, it may enhance the lawyer’s representation of the client as a product of the lawyer’s deeper knowledge of the client’s background, circumstances and values and the increased level of trust that may arise from the relationship. However, alon...