Topic: Fees vs. disbursements, charges of contract lawyer or co-counsel Digest: If a lawyer is handling a personal injury matter for a client who dies during the case, the attorney-client relationship automatically terminates, but the lawyer may enter into a new attorneyclient relationship with the former client’s putative personal representative. The new retainer agreement may … Continued

Topic: Conflicts of interest; definition of law firm; public defender; part-time justice Digest: A county attorney’s office represents and advises the county public defender’s office on grant funding and other financial and administrative matters. However, the county attorney’s office has no access to information concerning the public defender’s clients, the two offices do not share … Continued

TOPIC: Retention of former appellate judge with respect to easement on which judge previously ruled. DIGEST: A former appellate judge, who was on a panel which issued a dispositive order about the scope of an easement, is personally disqualified from representing the owner of the servient estate of the same easement with respect to legal … Continued