Law School Friends Turned Opposing Counsel

As we are all about to graduate and go on to our respective fields, it got me thinking about how my law school friends will soon be my opposing counsel. I guess this is as to be expected as we are all here to become attorneys and everyone has to represent someone. I looked into how to best navigate this situation as most of us will all be experiencing going against a Stetson colleague at some point during our career. 

Maintaining professionalism seems like an obvious one. Despite having known the opposing counsel for the past three years in law school, as advocates, it is our job to maintain professionalism and zealously represent our client.  This includes adhering to ethical standards, treating each other with respect, and focusing on the legal issues at hand rather than personal feelings.

Setting boundaries is equally important. In establishing clear boundaries between personal and professional relationships, law school friends can discuss how we both intend to handle the matter professionally while preserving your friendship. While it's important to maintain civility and respect in your interactions, it's also essential to recognize that your primary obligation is to your client's interests.

Maintaining confidentiality is a task we take up as we become attorneys. Respecting a clients confidentiality and avoiding discussing sensitive information with friends outside of the formal legal process is imperative to keeping clients and keeping friends. 

Finally, trying to preserve the friendship while being opposing counsel. While the legal matters are probably going to create tension or strain in your friendship temporarily, making an effort to preserve the relationship outside of the professional context.