Opinion ID: 1368677
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Potential Conflicts of Interest

Text: It is common for the parties to an independent adoption to retain an attorney to represent their individual interests. [2] The adoption proceeding itself is unusual because generally the parties to the adoption  the natural parents and the adoptive parents  are not in a true adversary relationship. Usually, both sides in the proceeding have complementary interests and no real negotiating or posturing is necessary; in most cases the natural parents want to find a good home for the baby and need to have the birthing expenses paid, and the adoptive parents want to provide a home for the baby and are willing to pay the expenses. Legal counsel is necessary only to facilitate the exchange and ensure that the legal requirements are met. Despite the spirit of cooperation often present in an adoption, conflict of interest situations are likely to arise for an attorney involved in the proceedings. First, the interests of potential adoptive parents of the same child are always adverse to one another. In a situation involving independent sets of adoptive parents and only one available child, obviously one set of parents will be disappointed. An attorney cannot simultaneously represent both sets of adoptive parents without compromising his representation of one of them. Second, and perhaps less apparent, the interests of the adoptive parents may be adverse to the interests of the natural parents. The decision to give the baby up for adoption is often a difficult one to make. The natural parents' attorney has a duty to provide them with counsel about such matters as paternity issues, economic matters, and the legal effect of signing the consent to adopt. See Howe, Adoption Practices, Issues, and Laws 1958-1983, 2 FAM.L.Q. 173, 184 (Summer 1983) (citing Policy Statements Regarding Family Law Approved by ABA Board of Governors, 1 FAM.L.Q. 105, 108 (June 1967)). Under our statute, the natural parents' consent to the adoption is not valid unless it is given at least 72 hours after the birth of the child. A.R.S. § 8-107(B). The statute protects the right of the natural parents to withhold a decision on whether to keep the baby until after the baby is born. The attorney must counsel the natural parents on the adoption decision right up until the natural parents consent to the adoption. Clearly, the adoptive parents want the natural parents to consent to the adoption rather than to keep the baby. It is obvious, therefore, that the natural parents' interests may be adverse to the interests of the adoptive parents, and the same attorney cannot represent both parties. See Op. No. 72-2 (Jan. 26, 1972) and Op. No. 94 (Feb. 12, 1962), Comm. on R. Prof. Conduct, Ariz. State Bar. Notwithstanding the foregoing discussion, in some instances an attorney may be able to represent multiple parties in an adoption proceeding. Disciplinary Rule 5-105(C) provides for an exception to the dictates of DR 5-105(A) and (B). It provides that a lawyer may represent multiple clients if it is obvious that he can adequately represent the interests of each and if each consents to the representation after full disclosure of the possible effect of such representation on the exercise of his independent professional judgment on behalf of each. DR 5-105(C). Under this exception, then, it may be possible for an attorney to represent multiple parties to an adoption, but only after full disclosure and upon consent of the parties. This exception has no application to the current case, however, because there is no evidence that respondent complied with its provisions.