Attorneys are held to a strict ethical code, but that does not mean they always follow it. Attorney Cynthia Payne, Executive Vice President of US Legal Groups, joins the show to unpack why it took until 2002 for the American Bar Association to formally address whether attorneys can have sexual relationships with clients, and why the power imbalance in that dynamic makes consent far more complicated than it appears. Payne walks through real cases from her decades in the profession, including an attorney whose relationship with a client on a murder case led to a vacated conviction, a case involving a client who felt coerced into a relationship with her own divorce attorney, and an especially extreme case of an attorney who bribed witnesses, revealed client confidences in court filings, and was ultimately disbarred after shooting someone in his office. The conversation also turns to judges who abused their positions, from arrests involving drugs and domestic violence to one particularly bizarre courtroom scandal, and to the gender dynamics Payne has witnessed firsthand across thirty years of practice, including moments early in her career when jurors commented on her appearance rather than her performance. Payne closes with guidance for anyone who feels taken advantage of by their attorney, including how to seek a second opinion, file a disciplinary complaint, and exercise the right to fire an attorney at any time, even mid case.
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