What duties do attorneys have towards third parties?

Attorneys have a duty to avoid actions that may harm third parties, which reflects a critical aspect of their ethical obligations in professional responsibility. This duty is based on the principle that lawyers must conduct their practices in a manner that does not negatively impact individuals who are not their clients.

This duty encompasses a range of responsibilities, including ensuring that the attorney's actions do not cause foreseeable harm to third parties during the course of representing a client. For example, if a lawyer is aware that their client intends to commit a tortious act or a crime, the lawyer may have an obligation to take reasonable steps to prevent that harm from occurring to individuals outside of the attorney-client relationship.

In contrast, the other options do not accurately reflect the standard ethical obligations of attorneys towards third parties. While representing the interests of third parties may sometimes occur, it is not a general duty attorneys carry unless there are specific circumstances or relationships in play. Similarly, there is no blanket obligation to compensate all third parties or to report them to authorities simply based on their status as third parties. These other choices fail to capture the fundamental principle of avoiding harm, which is central to professional responsibility.