A Twist on Holiday Gift Giving

Yesterday a new client called to put herself on my calendar, and then she asked something I had not yet heard in my practice...could she give my legal services to her sister as a holiday gift? Apparently both women had attended a seminar of mine and wanted to work with me. So, for a holiday gift my client is giving her sister a “gift certificate” towards an estate plan. This unique gift has an underlying principle not that uncommon in the legal field – someone else paying for a person’s legal representation. One important fact I had to educate the client on was that even though she was paying the bill, her sister would be my client. That means attorney client privilege would prevent me from disclosing any information to the sister paying the bill. My client understood and was thrilled to have finished her holiday shopping without having to make a trip to the mall.