My girlfriend was a witness in my divorce case. Now she and I are in a contract dispute and she has hired the same law firm I used in my div...

Question

My girlfriend was a witness in my divorce case. Now she and I are in a contract dispute and she has hired the same law firm I used in my divorce case. Is this considered a conflict of interest, since the firm previously represented me in the divorce case?

Answer

Are the two cases, in any way, related or overlapping? Is it the same lawyer(s)? Does the firm have documents or evidence from your divorce case that they can use in the contract case? Was your divorce last month or 8 years ago. In short, where is the actual potential conflict?

Answer

Not necessarily. The answer would depend on how long ago the divorce was, and whether information gained during the divorce from you would have any relevance to the contract case. As a general rule, even absent a real conflict, some attorneys will decline to pursue a former client, but unless there is an actual conflict, and you haven't stated one at all in your post, your divorce is irrelevant.