§ discipline

No own-interest conflict client

The lawyer must not act where their own (or an associate's) interests conflict, or significantly risk conflicting, with the duty to serve the client's best interests.

90 cases 67% strike-off avg suspension 24.0 mo avg fine 12,172 31 with dishonesty finding

How the codes express this duty

E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code CCS 6.1 strong 80 cases
6.1 You do not act if there is an own interest conflict or a significant risk of such a conflict.

SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs · 2019 · archived copy · official source ↗

E&W Barristers BSB Handbook rC21.2; rC21.10 strong
rC21 ... .2 there is a conflict of interest, or real risk of conflict of interest, between your own personal interests and the interests of the prospective client in respect of the particular matter; or ... .10 there is a real prospect that you are not going to be able to maintain your independence.

BSB Handbook · current · archived copy · official source ↗

Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 R.7.6 strong
An attorney-at-law or a recognised law entity shall not act where the attorney-at-law's or recognised law entity's own interests conflict with those of the client or there is a significant risk of a conflict.

Cayman Islands Legal Services Code of Professional Conduct · 2026 · archived copy

AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules Rules 12.1; 12.3 strong 3 cases
12.1 A solicitor must not act for a client where there is a conflict between the duty to serve the best interests of a client and the interests of the solicitor or an associate of the solicitor, except as permitted by this Rule. 12.3 A solicitor must not borrow any money, nor assist an associate to borrow money, from: 12.3.1 a client of the solicitor or of the solicitor's law practice...

Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules · 2015 (June 2026 compilation) · archived copy · official source ↗

AU Barristers Uniform Barristers Rules rr95(b),95(g) strong
A barrister must refuse to accept or retain a brief ... if: ... (b) the client's interest in the matter is or would be in conflict with the barrister's own interest or the interest of an associate ... (g) the barrister has a material financial or property interest in the outcome of the case, apart from the prospect of a fee.

Legal Profession Uniform Conduct (Barristers) Rules · 2015 (as amended 14 May 2025) · archived copy · official source ↗

IE Solicitors Law Society Guide Ch3 — Conflict of interest between solicitor and client strong
A solicitor should not act where their duty to act in the best interests of a client in relation to a matter conflicts, or there is a significant risk that it may conflict, with their own interests in relation to that matter or a related matter.

Solicitor's Guide to Professional Conduct (Law Society of Ireland) · 4th ed. (2022) · archived copy · official source ↗

IE Barristers Bar Code of Conduct Rule 3.12; Rule 3.13 strong
Barristers may not accept instructions in any case where by reason of their connection with the client or the subject matter it would be difficult for them to maintain their professional independence or where such connection might reasonably give rise to the perception ... that their professional independence is or may be compromised in the discharge of their duties as Barristers.

Code of Conduct for the Bar of Ireland · 2024 · archived copy · official source ↗

JM Attorneys Canons of Professional Ethics Canon IV(j) strong 2 cases
Except with the specific approval of his client given after full disclosure, an Attorney shall not act in any manner in which his professional duties and his personal interests conflict or are likely to conflict.

Legal Profession (Canons of Professional Ethics) Rules · 1978 (principal) · archived copy · official source ↗

JE Lawyers Law Society of Jersey Code R.6.6 strong
A member or their firm must not act where the member's or firm's own interests conflict with those of the client or there is a significant risk of a conflict.

Law Society of Jersey Code of Conduct · 1 January 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗

ON Lawyers LSO Rules of Prof. Conduct r 3.4-1; r 3.4-1 commentary [1] strong
3.4-1 A lawyer shall not act or continue to act for a client where there is a conflict of interest, except as permitted under the rules in this Section. [Commentary [1]: a conflict of interest exists when there is a substantial risk that a lawyer's loyalty to or representation of a client would be materially and adversely affected by the lawyer's own interest or the lawyer's duties to another client, a former client, or a third person.]

Law Society of Ontario — Rules of Professional Conduct · current · archived copy · official source ↗

BC Lawyers BC Code r 3.4-26.1 strong 3 cases
A lawyer must not perform any legal services if there is a substantial risk that a lawyer's loyalty to or representation of a client would be materially and adversely affected by the lawyer's (a) relationship with the client, or (b) interest in the client or the subject matter of the legal services.

Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia (BC Code) · 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗

NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules r 5.4 strong
A lawyer must not act or continue to act if there is a conflict or a risk of a conflict between the interests of the lawyer and the interests of a client for whom the lawyer is acting or proposing to act.

Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008 · SR 2008/214 · archived copy · official source ↗

SCO Solicitors LSS Standards of Conduct B1.7 strong 2 cases
You must not act for two or more clients in matters where there is a conflict of interest between the clients or for any client where there is a conflict between the interest of the client and your interest or that of your practice unit.

Law Society of Scotland — Practice Rules 2011, Rule B1 (Standards of Conduct) · 2011 · archived copy · official source ↗

SG Lawyers Professional Conduct Rules 2015 r 22 (Conflict, or potential conflict, between interests of client and interests of legal practitioner or law practice, in general) strong
22 Conflict, or potential conflict, between interests of client and interests of legal practitioner or law practice, in general

Legal Profession (Professional Conduct) Rules 2015 · 2015 · archived copy · official source ↗

HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide Principle 7.02 strong
A solicitor must act in the best interest of his client and he must not put himself in a position where his own interests conflict or are likely to conflict with his duty to his client, quasi-client or potential client.

Hong Kong Solicitors' Guide to Professional Conduct (Volume 1) · current · archived copy · official source ↗

HK Barristers Bar Code of Conduct para 6.3 strong
A practising barrister must not appear as Counsel:- (a) in a matter in which he himself is a party or has a material personal (whether pecuniary or otherwise) interest; (b) either for or against any company of which he is a shareholder or an officer or in which he has directly or indirectly a material personal (whether pecuniary or otherwise) interest.

Code of Conduct of the Bar of the Hong Kong SAR · 2018 · archived copy · official source ↗

Cases dealing with this duty

Clear

90 decisions · link basis: found breached = a tribunal finding; rule cited = the mapped provision is cited in the decision; text match = high-precision text pattern

Duty classification does not yet cover every jurisdiction (Ontario, New Zealand and Singapore decisions are indexed but not yet duty-classified), so counts here understate those corpora.