道德意见242

Ethical Obligations of Attorney Holding Documents Provided by Client That May Be Property of Third Party

An attorney whose client provides documents that may be the property of the client’s former employer should, 应客户要求, 如果客户对文件的所有权有合理的主张，则将文件退还给客户. 对于客户没有此权利要求的文件, the attorney should return them to the employer unless to do so would reveal confidences protected by 规则1.6, in which event the attorney must preserve the documents 和 may not permit them to be used inconsistently with the attorney’s fiduciary duty to the owner with respect to such property.

适用的规则

• 规则1.15(物业保管)
• 规则1.2(e)(代理范围)
• 规则1.6(信息保密)
• 规则3.4(a)(对对方及靠谱的滚球平台的公平)

调查

询问者保管客户提供的某些文件, 包括客户前雇主的公司内部记录. 这些文件有些是原件，有些是复印件, 和 at least some of the documents in both categories (originals 和 copies) do not arguably belong to the Client, 虽然有些副本可能. 本公司一般知道客户或询问者有一些文件, but not their identity; it claims they belong to it 和 wants them back. Client asserts that some are his 和 has asked Inquirer to return them to Client, not the Company. Client also wants access to all of the documents that Client provided to Inquirer so that Client can use them in writing a book about the Company, 显然是公司不会靠谱的滚球平台的. 问题是询问者能否将文件归还给客户, 必须交给公司吗, 或者保存在《靠谱的足球滚球平台》的档案里, 和, 如果询问者必须保留文件, whether Inquirer could permit the Client to have access so he can use the documents to write his book.

讨论

Inquirer’s obligations depend initially upon whether Client has any legitimate claim to custody or use of the documents, 超出委员会权力范围的事实和法律问题.

一般来说，规则1.第15条规定靠谱的滚球平台应委托人的要求，有义务将委托人的财产归还委托人. 规则3.4(a)还规定靠谱的滚球平台不得:
 

(a)阻碍另一方当事人取得证据或改变, 销毁或隐瞒证据, 或建议或协助他人这样做, if the lawyer reasonably should know that the evidence is or may be the subject of discovery or subpoena in any pending or imminent proceeding. 除非法律禁止, 靠谱的滚球平台可以从委托人或其他人那里获得任何实物证据. 靠谱的滚球平台收到的证据属于委托人以外的人的, 靠谱的滚球平台应当尽力保全，返还给所有人, 受规则1约束.6. . . . (强调说.]¹

The 规则 do not address the lawyer’s obligations when it is unclear to whom the evidence “belongs.” The comments refer generally to “the requirements of paragraph (a) with respect to return of property to its rightful owner. . . .规则三.[3].

评论[7]补充说:

. . . if it is reasonably apparent that the evidence is not the client’s property the lawyer may not retain the evidence or return it 致客户端. 而不是, 靠谱的滚球平台必须, 根据(a)段, 尽最大的努力把证据还给它的主人.

然而，评论[5]补充道:
因为规则1规定的保密义务.6, the lawyer is generally forbidden to volunteer information about physical evidence received from a client without the client’s consent after consultation. 在某些情况下, the Office of 酒吧 Counsel will accept physical evidence from a lawyer 和 then turn it over to the appropriate persons; in those cases this procedure is usually the best means of delivering evidence to the proper authorities without disclosing the client’s confidences. . . .²

根据所陈述的事实, we assume that 信息披露 of the copies to the Company would constitute 信息披露 of a confidence or secret of the Client within the broad definition of those terms in 规则1.6, which includes “[i]nformation gained in the professional relationship that the client has requested be held inviolate, 否则泄露出来会很尴尬, 或者可能是有害的, 致客户端.”³ 规则1.由于需要客户同意，因此无法将副本转介给大靠谱的滚球平台, 鉴于客户对文件的权利主张, 我们认为规则1的义务.6和1.15 require the lawyer to comply with the Client’s request to return the papers to the Client insofar as the Client has a plausible claim to ownership of them. 虽然当事人似乎希望保留这些文件, 而不是摧毁它们, 靠谱的滚球平台应就委托人在保全方面的法律义务提供适当的建议, 信息披露, 以及副本的使用, 鉴于公司相互竞争的索赔要求.⁴

对于客户没有合理的所有权主张的文件，而规则1.可能会阻止文件返回公司, 这并不妨碍询问者“保存”它们. 相应的, 保留监护权才是正确的做法, with future disposition to be governed or directed by a court order or by some agreement of the parties.

在靠谱的滚球平台保管文件的情况下，是否涉及其他规则. 规则1.15(a) obliges a lawyer who is in possession of property of a client or a third person to hold it separately from the lawyer’s property. 规则1.15(b)进一步规定:

收到委托人或第三人有利害关系的资金或其他财产时, 靠谱的滚球平台应当及时通知委托人或者第三人. 除非本规则另有规定，或法律或与客户的协议另有规定, a lawyer shall promptly deliver 致客户端 or third person any funds or other property that the client or third person is entitled to receive 和, 应客户或第三方要求, 应立即就该等财产作出全面核算, 受规则1约束.6.

 目前尚不清楚规则1如何.如果有的话，15条应该适用于此. 评论[7]指出:“对于构成证据的财产, 如犯罪的工具或收益, 见规则3.4(a).这表明规则3.当财产由“证据”构成时，应适用第4条,“至少在与规则1冲突的情况下.15. 在这种情况下, 然而, 尚不清楚是否所有有关文件都将被视为规则3下的“证据”.而不仅仅是规则1下的第三方财产.15. 在某种程度上，类别和规则之间存在差异, it would seem to relate more to the obligations the Inquirer has to the government or the court with respect to “evidence,” while the obligations to third persons to whom the property belongs may be deemed essentially the same whether or not it is also “evidence.”

最后一条，遵守规则1的义务.15到规则1.6, literally applies only to the delivery 和 accounting duties not to the notice duty in the first sentence. 在这种情况下 it may be that Inquirer could comply with a generalized notice obligation without breaching 规则1.只要询问者没有义务指明具体单据. 如前所述, 客户的前雇主知道客户或询问者有一些文件, 但不知道是哪个，也不知道有多少, 以便发出一般通知本身可能并不需要作出违反规则1的披露.6. 这是一个我们无法解决的事实问题.

规则1的要求.15(b) to “promptly deliver” to a third person any “funds or other property” that the third person “is entitled to receive,并应该人的要求“立即提供完整的账目”,都要遵守规则1.6. 在某种程度上，这种会计将需要披露受规则1保护的信息.6, 不需要满足这些要求, 理由是在讨论规则3时指出的.第4条及其对规则1的类似提及.6.

规则1.15 和 its comments shed light on the question whether Inquirer can keep custody of the documents belonging to the Company but give the Client access to the documents for use in writing his book. Comment [1] begins: “A lawyer should hold property of others with the care required of a professional fiduciary.评论[4]阐述道:

第三方, 比如客户的债权人, 可能只是对靠谱的滚球平台保管的资金或其他财产提出索赔. A lawyer may have a duty under applicable law to protect such third-party claims against wrongful interference by the client, 并有权拒绝将财产交给委托人. 然而, a lawyer should not unilaterally assume to arbitrate a dispute between the client 和 the third party.

此外，根据规则1.2(e), 如果靠谱的滚球平台知道客户打算做的事情是“犯罪或欺诈”,靠谱的滚球平台不得“协助”委托人.

Permitting the Client to use Company documents in Inquirer’s custody for a book about the Company might well breach Inquirer’s fiduciary duty. 类似的, Inquirer’s cooperation with the Client could subject the Inquirer to claims of wrongful interference, 或参与客户可能违反信义义务的行为, 以及可能的侵权责任.⁵ 然而, 这些是法律问题，而不是道德问题, 因此不属于委员会的管辖范围.

调查没有. 92-10-38
通过:1993年9月21日

1. 规则3.4(a)一般基于规则3.《美国靠谱的滚球平台协会示范规则》第4(a)条规定:
靠谱的滚球平台不得:
(a)非法阻碍另一方取得证据或非法更改, 销毁或隐匿具有潜在证据价值的文件或其他材料. 靠谱的滚球平台不得建议或协助他人进行任何此类行为. . . .
D .的斜体条款.C. 规则34(a)不包含在ABA示范规则中, 它们和解释它们的观点在这里提供不了多少指导.
2. 额外的评论主要是针对对变更的关注, 面对未决或迫在眉睫的诉讼销毁或隐瞒证据, 而不是相互竞争的所有权或使用和披露的权利.
3. Cf. 院长v. 迪恩，607. 2d 494(佛罗里达州. 经销. Ct. 应用程序. 1992).
4. We need not address the situation that would be presented if the lawyer had obtained the copies from a person other than a client. 比较壳牌石油., 143 F.R.D. 105 (E.D. La.)，经修正，144 F.R.D. 73 (E.D. La. 1992).
5. Cf. 一种触头. 集团. v. Steward, 414 Mass. 721, 610 N.E.2d 892 (1993).