This likely comes as no surprise to anyone, but Texas lawyers recently voted down an amendment to the State Bar of Texas ethics rules that would have banned sex with the people they represent in court.
The attorneys want to protect their right to literally screw clients.
An overwhelming 72 percent voted against the proposed amendment to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct. The other 28 percent, presumably, saw no future in representing a hot client.
In fact, the state's barristers were not in an accepting mood at the time of the vote. According to an article by the Courthouse News Source, membership of the state bar voted against all six proposed amendments to the code.
To be fair, though, the amendment concerning attorney-client sex did have a couple of exceptions. If a lawyer and subsequent client already had a coital-thing going before engaging in a legal relationship — wait, something’s a bit off with that phrase — they could continue the horizontal tango as the case went to trial, just not in the courtroom.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Likewise a lawyer could continue marital relations with a spouse if that spouse hired that particular lawyer. Then again, who would want a spouse for a lawyer if said spouse-lawyer were miffed with spouse-client?
The Courthouse News piece quoted Austin lawyer Lillian Hardwick, who served as chairwoman of the State Bar rules committee, when she gave her thoughts on the nay votes cast by bar members even though the Texas Supreme Court still could implement the amendment.
"I think people got a certain amount of satisfaction from pulling the lever," she said.
Well, hey, if you can’t have sex with your client …
Bruce Felps owns and operates East Dallas Times, an online community news outlet serving the White Rock Lake area. He has not had happy experiences, or endings, with lawyers.
