Texas Lawyer Can Migrate Conflicts from Public Work at Old Firm

A Texas lawyer who works for public entities at a private firm will create conflicts of interest for other attorneys if he moves to another firm that is routinely in opposition to those public entities, the State Bar of Texas said.

The bar’s Professional Ethics Committee was asked if a lawyer who regularly represents municipalities can join an adverse firm without creating a conflict for other attorneys at the new firm. Secondarily, the committee was presented a question about whether the public entities’ open meetings and records could help avoid conflicts.

The committee said in a February opinion that, under ...