Ethical Rules of Giving Gifts to Former Clients
Posted: Thu May 14, 2020 11:41 pm
I'm posting this anonymously for obvious reasons.
I used to work at a Biglaw firm and represented a pro bono client. I no longer work for this firm and have relinquished this client and his attendant case to another attorney at the firm. The case was pretty much finished in 2018 anyway.
In any event, I have some unneeded technology that has become obsolete because I have since gotten new things. I was wondering if I could donate the unneeded things to my former client? S/he lives in poverty, and I can imagine that COVID-19 has really done a number on his/her living circumstances. The items are a 65 inch curved TV and an older iMac. I have no family in this vicinity to give these items to and am leery about taking these items to a local Goodwill or something. However, I also don't want to fall victim to any ethical rules of which I am unaware. Better to be safe than sorry.
TL/DR: what are the ethical rules for giving relatively expensive gifts to a former client?
I used to work at a Biglaw firm and represented a pro bono client. I no longer work for this firm and have relinquished this client and his attendant case to another attorney at the firm. The case was pretty much finished in 2018 anyway.
In any event, I have some unneeded technology that has become obsolete because I have since gotten new things. I was wondering if I could donate the unneeded things to my former client? S/he lives in poverty, and I can imagine that COVID-19 has really done a number on his/her living circumstances. The items are a 65 inch curved TV and an older iMac. I have no family in this vicinity to give these items to and am leery about taking these items to a local Goodwill or something. However, I also don't want to fall victim to any ethical rules of which I am unaware. Better to be safe than sorry.
TL/DR: what are the ethical rules for giving relatively expensive gifts to a former client?