Ethics Ruling Number
R5032
Area of Law
Insurance
Category
Conflict of Interest
Ethics Ruling Date
20/02/2025
Ethics Pub Date
18/09/2025
Ethics Background
Solicitor A was previously employed by Law Practice A, which was retained from time to time to provide advice to an insurer. Solicitor A is now employed at Law Practice B and acts for clients who are making insurance claims against the same insurer which was previously represented by Law Practice A at the time of Solicitor A’s employment there. Solicitor A had no previous involvement in the specific claims they are engaging with at Law Practice B. The insurer alleges that Solicitor A has a conflict of interest and should not act against it.
Ruling
In the opinion of the Ethics Committee and on the information presented: No relevant confidential information exists, so Solicitor A is not conflicted in acting at Law Practice B against their former client the insurer in insurance matters, where they had no previous involvement in the specific claims when acting for the insurer.

Law Institute of Victoria
Ethics Committee of Law Institute of Victoria Ltd
Legal Ethics Manager
Phone: 03 9607 9336
Email: ethics@liv.asn.au

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