Opinion 1159

[The lawyer's current law firm represents plaintiffs in two cases in which his prior law firm represents the defendants. In the first matter, the event at issue occurred after the lawyer left the first law firm. The second matter was pending while the lawyer worked at the first law firm, but he did not work on the case and was not familiar with the factual bases of the claims. However, he did represent the same defendant in unrelated legal matters.] The Committee reviewed your inquiry, and based only upon the facts as set forth in that inquiry, the Committee was of the opinion that neither RPC 1.9 nor RPC 1.10 would disqualify you or your law firm from continuing to represent your client.

Advisory Opinions are provided for the education of the Bar and reflect the opinion of the Committee on Professional Ethics (CPE) or its predecessors. Advisory Opinions are provided pursuant to the authorization granted by the Board of Governors, but are not individually approved by the Board and do not reflect the official position of the Bar association. Laws other than the Washington State Rules of Professional Conduct may apply to the inquiry. The Committee's answer does not include or opine about any other applicable law other than the meaning of the Rules of Professional Conduct.