The set-up: Potential client calls you on the phone. He says he is representing a government minister from a mineral-rich West African nation — he won’t say which one. But his (unnamed) principal needs legal help in order to move millions of dollars into the U.S. — consisting of what the representative candidly describes as
NY lawyer censured for conduct in fake “client” consult
Advising a “client” on how to move “grey money” into the U.S. has resulted in an agreed public censure in September for a New York attorney. The lawyer (along with a number of others) was caught on video by Global Witness, a British-based public advocacy group. But the sanction raises some questions regarding the
Does a client transaction raise flags? You might have a duty to inquire further
Do you ever have to rat yourself out? It may sometimes help…
In the movie “Goodfellas,” Robert De Niro famously advises that the two greatest life lessons are “Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.” Those are good rules if you’re in a crime syndicate. But as most lawyers know, our Rules of Professional Conduct can actually require us to “rat out” our