Can an attorney represent plaintiffs and defendants in different cases?
Yes. As long as an attorney obeys all ethical rules, he or she is permitted to represent plaintiffs in some cases and defendants in other cases. However, on a practical level, most attorneys specialize. Specialization helps attorneys focus on the issues involved in a case. Also, because representing plaintiffs and representing defendants result in different fee arrangements, it is often easier to simply specialize in representing one or the other type of client.
