Sex With Clients

While a violation of a Rules of Professional Conduct in Pennsylvania does not automatically give rise to a cause of action against a lawyer. Rule 1.8 (J) states “A lawyer shall not have sexual relations with a client unless a consensual relationship existed between them when the client-lawyer relationship commenced.”

If a lawyer attempts to encourage a sexual relationship by refusing to continue helping a client or delays helping a client because the client will not accept sexual advances, then the lawyer may be liable for professional negligence. The lawyer cannot imply that you should have sex. Nor can the lawyer scare you or force you to have sex as a condition of continued representation. As the rules indicate the lawyer cannot continue to represent a client if they begin having a sexual relationship.

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Cohn & Associates
1604 Locust Street
4th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 545-9660
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