Opinion ID: 1255642
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: District Court's Order Is Final.

Text: As an initial matter, Mosley contends that the district court's order granting his motion for disqualification is not a final order. Before reaching the legal issues presented for review, it is the duty of an appellate court to settle jurisdictional issues presented by a case. [3] We have previously held that an order disqualifying counsel in a civil matter is not a final order. [4] We have, however, allowed interlocutory review of such orders disqualifying counsel if the order of disqualification involves issues collateral to the basic controversy and if an appeal from a judgment dispositive of the entire case would not be likely to protect the client's interests. [5] This concept is referred to as the collateral order doctrine. [6] We have explained that in the context of an attorney disqualification case, the issue collateral to the underlying action is whether counsel should be disqualified on the basis of the prior representation of an adverse party. [7] This case involves such a collateral issue, namely, whether Fahleson should be disqualified from representing Jacob North because of Fahleson's prior representation of Mosley. We therefore have jurisdiction over this appeal under the collateral order doctrine.