Common Representation of Lender and Trustee on a Deed of Trust
Adopted: April 23, 2004
Opinion rules that a lawyer may represent both the lender and the trustee on a deed of trust in a dispute with the borrower if the conditions on common representation can be satisfied.
Inquiry:
Mr. Doe is the trustee on a deed of trust securing a loan from Lender to Borrower. Lender notified Mr. Doe that Borrower was in default and asked Mr. Doe to initiate a foreclosure proceeding. Soon after the foreclosure was commenced, Borrower filed a lawsuit naming Lender as the defendant and alleging unfair debt collection practices. Mr. Doe is also named as a party to the proceeding in order to enjoin the foreclosure proceeding. Lender asks Attorney A to represent it in the lawsuit and would like Attorney A to also represent Mr. Doe. Mr. Doe wants to be represented by Attorney A.
May Attorney A represent both Lender and Mr. Doe in his capacity as trustee on the deed of trust?
Opinion:
A lawyer may not engage in common representation of multiple clients if the common representation involves a concurrent conflict of interest. Rule 1.7(a). A concurrent conflict of interest exists whenever the representation of one client will be materially limited by the lawyer's responsibilities to another client. Rule 1.7(a)(2). However, a lawyer may proceed with the representation, despite the concurrent conflict, if the lawyer reasonably believes that the lawyer will be able to provide competent and diligent representation to each affected client and the representation is not prohibited by law, does not involve the assertion of a claim by one client against another in the same proceeding, and each affected client gives informed consent. Rule 1.7(b).
Comment [29] to Rule 1.7 provides additional guidance on when common representation is appropriate. It observes, "because the lawyer is required to be impartial between commonly represented clients, representation of multiple clients is improper when it is unlikely that impartiality can be maintained."
Attorney A may proceed with the common representation of Lender and Mr. Doe if she concludes that she can maintain her impartiality as between the clients and the other conditions of Rule 1.7(b) are satisfied. In making this determination, she must remember that the trustee's role in a foreclosure is a neutral role. If Attorney A cannot represent both clients in a manner that will preserve Mr. Doe's neutrality (as trustee), then she cannot satisfy the condition requiring her to provide both clients with competent and diligent representation.
The situation described in this inquiry must be distinguished from the limitations placed upon a lawyer who is actually serving as the trustee on a deed of trust. There are a number of ethics opinions that hold that a lawyer who serves as a trustee must be neutral as between the interests of the lender and the interests of the borrower and may not, therefore, represent either party individually while initiating a foreclosure proceeding. See RPC 46, RPC 82, and RPC 90. Since Attorney A is providing legal representation to the trustee but is not herself serving in that neutral role, common representation with the lender is not prohibited if the conditions of Rule 1.7(b) can be satisfied.5