1. Forum
  2. Usenet
  3. MISC.LEGAL.MODERATED

  • Who is eligible for attroney-client relationship?

    From micky@21:1/5 to All on Fri Mar 10 12:06:03 2023
    Does someone have to be admitted to the bar to qualify for
    attorney-client privilege? I don't think so, that just determines who
    can appear in court.

    Does he have to have graduated law school? I don't think so.

    Can I have a client-attorney relationship with my neighbor, whose
    full-time job is as a plumber?

    I read on Nextdoor today about kids seen carrying a flat screen tv,
    probably stolen. If my kid brought one home, G-d forbid, I'd want to
    return it without getting him in legal trouble. I'd like to hire my
    childless neighbor or friend to take the tv to the police station but be
    able to legally refuse to say from whom he got it, etc. Instead of
    hiring a lawyer at what, 300/hour?

    I guess this would apply to leaving babies in front of a hospital too,
    instead of bringing them inside where it's warm and where they will be
    noticed immediately, especially if you put them on the counter.

    --
    I think you can tell, but just to be sure:
    I am not a lawyer.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Barry Gold@21:1/5 to micky on Sat Mar 11 08:06:11 2023
    If you don't have a law license, you aren't a lawyer and attorney-client privilege doesn't apply. And lawyers these days cost anywhere from $100
    (really cheap) to $700 ("white shoe" law firm).

    Other possibilities include therapist-client privilege and
    minister-parishioner privilege ("the confessional", but not restricted
    to the Catholic Church).

    You might be able to find a priest/minister in some minor church willing
    to do this for a small fee. I don't think the Universal Life Church.

    You might want to look up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_status_of_the_Universal_Life_Church
    and see if ULC ordinations are valid in your state. If they are, you
    might be able to use that. BUT DON'T COUNT ON IT. I am not a lawyer and
    this is REALLY TRULY NOT LEGAL ADVICE.

    Some areas have "legal coffee shops", where you can sit down with an
    actual lawyer over coffee or something and get advice for fairly cheap.

    On 3/10/2023 12:06 PM, micky wrote:
    Does someone have to be admitted to the bar to qualify for
    attorney-client privilege? I don't think so, that just determines who
    can appear in court.

    Does he have to have graduated law school? I don't think so.

    Can I have a client-attorney relationship with my neighbor, whose
    full-time job is as a plumber?

    I read on Nextdoor today about kids seen carrying a flat screen tv,
    probably stolen. If my kid brought one home, G-d forbid, I'd want to
    return it without getting him in legal trouble. I'd like to hire my childless neighbor or friend to take the tv to the police station but be
    able to legally refuse to say from whom he got it, etc. Instead of
    hiring a lawyer at what, 300/hour?

    I guess this would apply to leaving babies in front of a hospital too, instead of bringing them inside where it's warm and where they will be noticed immediately, especially if you put them on the counter.

    --
    I do so have a memory. It's backed up on DVD... somewhere...

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Stuart O. Bronstein@21:1/5 to micky on Sat Mar 11 07:36:07 2023
    micky <misc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

    Does someone have to be admitted to the bar to qualify for
    attorney-client privilege? I don't think so, that just determines
    who can appear in court.

    Actually that's incorrect. Bar membership is not only to represent a
    person in court, but to represent them out of court or to practice
    law in general.

    Does he have to have graduated law school? I don't think so.

    Bar membership is up to the states. Until fairly recently in many
    states graduation from law school was not required to practice law.
    In California and I believe six other states, someone can qualify to
    take the bar by "reading the law," which does not require graduation
    from law school.

    Can I have a client-attorney relationship with my neighbor, whose
    full-time job is as a plumber?

    Not unless he's passed the bar and is a current member of the bar.

    I read on Nextdoor today about kids seen carrying a flat screen
    tv, probably stolen. If my kid brought one home, G-d forbid, I'd
    want to return it without getting him in legal trouble. I'd like
    to hire my childless neighbor or friend to take the tv to the
    police station but be able to legally refuse to say from whom he
    got it, etc. Instead of hiring a lawyer at what, 300/hour?

    Your friend doesn't have to talk - doing so might incriminate
    himself.

    I guess this would apply to leaving babies in front of a hospital
    too, instead of bringing them inside where it's warm and where
    they will be noticed immediately, especially if you put them on
    the counter.

    Some states have laws that allow leaving babies in front of a
    specified place, such as hospitals, if the infant was newly born.
    That's a completely different issue.


    --
    Stu
    http://DownToEarthLawyer.com


    --
    This email has been checked for viruses by AVG antivirus software.
    www.avg.com

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Roy@21:1/5 to All on Sat Mar 11 08:06:53 2023
    IANAL but if you need to pass information is this manner, the "Priest–penitent privilege" is much easier to use.

    Check out

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priest%E2%80%93penitent_privilege

    "Rule 506 Communications to clergy. (a) Definitions. As used in this
    rule:

    (1) A "member of the clergy" is a minister, priest, rabbi,
    Christian Science practitioner, or other similar functionary of a
    religious organization, or an individual reasonably believed so to be by
    the communicant."

    My wife attended training at her local church who then declared her a "minister" so she could deliver "pray counseling". Those counseling
    sessions would have been protected.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Barry Gold@21:1/5 to Stuart O. Bronstein on Sat Mar 11 12:00:55 2023
    On 3/11/2023 7:36 AM, Stuart O. Bronstein wrote:
    I guess this would apply to leaving babies in front of a hospital
    too, instead of bringing them inside where it's warm and where
    they will be noticed immediately, especially if you put them on
    the counter.
    Some states have laws that allow leaving babies in front of a
    specified place, such as hospitals, if the infant was newly born.
    That's a completely different issue.

    In California the general "safe surrender" location is fire stations.
    EVen there you're supposed to look for a sign that designates it --
    although if you try to hand over a baby to a station that isn't
    equipped, I imagine one of the firefighters would tell you where the
    nearest safe surrender station is.



    --
    I do so have a memory. It's backed up on DVD... somewhere...

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)