Attorney Stephen Prignano was quoted in Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly on how a ruling pertaining to the Rhode Island Rules of Professional Conduct will influence how “conflict of interest” disputes will be reviewed in the future. A judge recently disqualified a firm for abandoning a long-time client in order to hire attorneys to represent a party suing that client - the court found that the firm's actions were a clear violation of the state's professional conduct doctrine. According to the article, Attorney Prignano said courts may approach other circumstances differently, such as when a firm leaves a client who fails to follow the firm’s retainer agreement. “There could be other instances where the balance might shift more towards the attorney,” he said.
