Why does the court-appointed lawyer refuse to speak with me about my family member s criminal case?
Family members, friends, and relatives of a criminal defendant often experience frustration because the lawyer refuses to discuss with them the pending criminal case. This is often due to the lawyer s ethical obligations to the client. The Texas State Bar Rules and the Texas Rules of Evidence govern the circumstances under which a lawyer may reveal confidential information. In criminal cases, a defendant and the lawyer have a privilege to refuse to disclose and to prevent any other person from disclosing confidential communications made for the purpose of facilitating the rendition of professional legal services. Furthermore, in criminal cases, a client has a privilege to prevent the lawyer from disclosing any fact which came to the knowledge of the lawyer by reason of the attorney-client relationship. Friends, family, and relatives of a criminal defendant often wish to speak with the defense attorney about the facts of a particular case. The attorney may choose to discuss a particular
