Court Opinion

ID: 9722833
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 09:51:57.051638+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:08:27.680932
License: Public Domain

*1007FRIEDMAN, Acting P. J.
I concur in the result and in most of the court’s opinion. I do not agree with those portions of the opinion which imply a distinction turning on the pecuniary value of the property subjected to the attorney’s claim of lien. In embracing papers and other material which the client needs for the continued protection of his interests in or out of court, the retaining lien provision is illegal because it offends important tenets of professional ethics. The tenets are violated without regard to the pecuniary value of the withheld material. I see no logical justification for the court’s dicta limiting our decision to property without pecuniary worth. These dicta will stimulate confusion and litigation. They obscure the guidance which the opinion should supply the legal profession.