A lawyer who violates this code is subject to discipline which, in very serious matters, could mean suspension of his or her license to practice or disbarment. Discipline of a lawyer must be considered carefully because it may drastically affect the lawyer s career, reputation and ability to earn a living. You can understand, therefore, that it takes more than a claim of unethical conduct to justify the imposition of discipline. It takes evidence proof of unethical conduct to justify discipline of a lawyer, just as it takes proof before you or any member of society may be sanctioned for wrongdoing. An honest disagreement about how a case should be handled or should have been handled does not constitute unethical conduct, and neither does a mistake.
Lawyers are human, and sometimes a lawyer makes a mistake.
If it causes a loss, the client may be able to recover the loss from the lawyer through a malpractice lawsuit. But a mistake or an error in judgment is not unethical conduct. Disagreement about fees does not constitute unethical conduct except in unusual and extreme circumstances. Finally, there are situations which a client may find most annoying, but which do not constitute unethical conduct. An example would be the lawyer s failure to respond to the client s telephone calls inquiring about the progress of the case.