WebCredenza 2025 Litigation ethics: Disqualification and sanctions

Disqualification standards have their roots in conflicts of interests. When an attorney has a conflict that rises to a certain level, he or she is disqualified from representing a certain party in litigation. Though ethics rules substantially overlap with disqualification standards, those standards do not follow traditional conflict analysis in every detail.  Indeed, the relationship between conflicts of interest (and related confidentiality concerns) and disqualification is highly nuanced, varying depending on facts of each case.  There are also substantial issues in the context of joint representations, including whether the disqualification of one attorney necessarily disqualifies co-counsel.  This program will provide you with a practical guide to attorney ethics rules and their relationship to disqualification in litigation.

• Attorney ethics, conflicts of interest, and disqualification standards.
• How ethics rules and disqualification standards overlap and vary from each other.
• Ethics standards and tests for obtaining – or defending against disqualification.
• Joint representations and disqualification – if co-counsel is disqualified, are you?
• Screening for conflicts of interest and the risk of imputation of conflicts/disqualification to other attorneys.
• Ethical sanctions and their relationship to disqualification.

Opinions and positions stated by presenters of MoBarCLE programs are those of the presenters and not necessarily those of The Missouri Bar. This program is intended as information for lawyers in Missouri, in conjunction with other research they deem necessary, in the exercise of their independent judgment.