The independence of the lawyer is the quintessence of the legal profession. The lawyer has the right and the duty to be independent. The intrinsic feature of the lawyer is his or her independence. There is no free society and no free person without competent and independent lawyers. Without independent lawyers, there could not be impartial judges.
Independence constitutes the most important characteristic of the lawyer.
The lawyer must carry out his duties with absolute independence, free from any pressure, particularly from the state or from other external influences and particularly from his own interests. The lawyer must, therefore, avoid any impairment of his independence and be careful not to compromise such independence in order either to please his client, the court, or third parties. Governments must ensure that lawyers are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, harassment or improper interference. The Model Rules deal with both the independence of the legal profession and the independence of the lawyer. A lawyer shall not permit a person who recommends, employs, or pays the lawyer to render legal services for another to direct or regulate the lawyer's professional judgment in rendering such legal services.