Opinion ID: 2621232
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Blanket test

Text: The blanket test prohibits all contact, and appears to have been adopted in very few published decisions. A federal district court has concluded that a blanket rule prohibiting all contact sets a bright-line rule that is easily followed and enforced. [22] That court also opined that depositions were more reliable and ethically sound than informal interviews. [23] The primary advantage of this test is its clarity: no employees of a represented organization may be contacted by opposing counsel. It also offers the most protection for the organization. The cost of these advantages, however, is very high. A complete prohibition on informal ex parte contact greatly limits, if not eliminates, counsel's opportunity to properly investigate a potential claim before a complaint is filed, as required by Rule 11. Also, the rules of civil procedure, especially the discovery rules, are designed to afford parties broad access to information, and informal interviews are a cost-effective way of gathering facts, as opposed to more expensive depositions, which preserve facts. [24]