Sean Hannity's relationship to Trump attorney, Michael Cohen, has caused some confusion as to how a lawyer can get an "accidental client."
Giving legal advice is what lawyers do. Only lawyers are permitted to give legal advice. When lawyers give legal advice, and that advice is accepted, and relied on, then that advice is treated as the legal advice it is. The "client" assumed that what the lawyer learned will be kept in confidence, resulting in a lawyer-client relationship.
It is up to the lawyer to make certain that the "client" knows that she isn't a client, and the issue will be considered from the clients' viewpoint, and not the lawyer's. Nor does it matter whether the client would call the relationship an attorney-client relationship. If the individual treats the relationship as a client would, and the lawyer has given her reason to do so, then she is a client. These principles exist to protect clients and their confidences. Lawyers are charged with being careful, because they should know the profession and its rules. Too many lawyers are not careful, however, including, and not surprisingly, Michael Cohen.
