Opinion ID: 2188320
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Furnishing the Means to Deceive Others.

Text: The State claims that Smith furnished Rahmani with the means to deceive others when he successfully met with postal officials in the fall of 1986 regarding the holding of Rahmani's mail. In its brief, the State claims the only ethical course of action was to instruct Rahmani to allow postal to return the orders. The American Bar Association's Code of Professional Responsibility states: A lawyer shall not intentionally: (1) Fail to seek the lawful objectives of his client through reasonably available means permitted by law and the Disciplinary Rules.... DR 7-101(A)(1). Smith's client, Rahmani, wanted his mail released by the post office. This was apparently a legal objective under postal regulations. Smith had an ethical duty to his client to zealously represent him in an effort to accomplish that objective. Obviously, an attorney may not [c]ounsel or assist his client in conduct that the lawyer knows to be illegal or fraudulent. DR 7-102(A)(7). However, protecting a client's rights under the postal regulations, thereby getting his mail released, does not make a lawyer responsible for what the client subsequently does with that mail. We conclude that Smith did not furnish Rahmani with the means to deceive others in violation of Iowa Code section 714.16(2)(a). All other issues raised have been considered and we find them without merit or unnecessary to discuss. We affirm the district court judgment. AFFIRMED.