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Feliz inquires about Mastro's client selection criteria
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Council Member Feliz questions Mastro about the factors he considers when deciding which clients to represent. Mastro explains his obligations as a law firm partner and his ethical considerations in client selection.
- Mastro discusses his fiduciary obligations to his law firm and its clients
- He states that he would not represent a client with an indefensible position
- Mastro emphasizes the ethical responsibility of lawyers to help clients resolve issues, even when clients have done something wrong
Oswald Feliz
7:12:51
Okay.
7:12:51
So just curious, what are factors that you consider when deciding who to represent?
7:12:56
Obviously, you have many clients that wanna use you as the lawyer, you're again very talented.
7:12:59
What are factors that you consider when determining who you're gonna represent?
7:13:03
Any general principles that you follow?
Randy Mastro
7:13:08
First of all, when you are a partner in a law firm, you have fiduciary obligations to your law firm.
7:13:16
And your partners and your firm's clients.
7:13:19
So when your firm's clients have issues, when you are introduced by other partners, in that case, it was introduced by another partner.
7:13:29
You you work with your partners, and I fiduciary obligations to work for firm clients in a responsible and ethical way in private practice.
7:13:43
I think that it is fair to say that if I thought a client did something wrong and their position was indefensible, I would not represent them even if presented by another another partner.
7:14:00
And I have turned down clients who I thought had an indefensible position.
7:14:03
But it is also the case that some of
Oswald Feliz
7:14:05
our general please let you please
Randy Mastro
7:14:07
let me finish.
7:14:08
Because you asked me the question, I wanna give you a complete answer.
Oswald Feliz
7:14:10
Right.
7:14:10
But I'm
UNKNOWN
7:14:10
But sometimes
Randy Mastro
7:14:11
question because I sometimes do one
UNKNOWN
7:14:12
of them.
Randy Mastro
7:14:12
Sometimes individuals do something wrong, and the representation is to try and help them find a path fairly, honestly, ethically.
7:14:23
Acknowledging that they've done something wrong and you find a path.
7:14:26
So that's how you see many cases settled.
7:14:29
That's how you see in the area of criminal defense, many cases resolved.
7:14:33
The client's positions that client's values are not your values.
7:14:38
So to make moral judgments of me because I'm in a business to serve based on private clients of a private law firm where I have ethical obligations to the law fiduciary obligations to the law firm to serve the firm and its clients and my partners is to ignore that my values are reflected in what's my time, my pro bono, my community service, my public service for over a decade.
7:15:08
So that's really fair ground.
7:15:10
But what what I did in private practice for clients and was I got successful results I think that actually and and resolved issues with settlements like the PRA case, I think that shows I'm a responsible lawyer, and I think it shows that I can be a responsible lawyer for you as your counsel.
Oswald Feliz
7:15:32
What do you mean though by legally and defense of are you talking about a topic that you don't wanna be associated with?
7:15:37
Are you talking about a case where, you know, the facts are not and the law are not on your side?
7:15:42
What do you mean by legally and
UNKNOWN
7:15:44
I
Randy Mastro
7:15:44
think if the client doesn't have a legal position, we have ethical obligations to only go to court and take positions in good faith.
7:15:52
And if I don't believe I can take a position in good faith, I wouldn't represent the client.
7:15:56
I wouldn't make that argument.
7:15:58
And to be clear, right, if I thought the mayor took a position that wasn't defensible or in good faith, if I thought the counsel took such a position, I would tell you, and I would not go to court for anyone and never have.
7:16:18
I've never my integrity has never been questioned.
7:16:21
I've never had a bar issue or a court issue sanction whatever because I don't go to court on issues that aren't legally defensible.
7:16:31
And I won't let you be in that position.
7:16:34
I won't let anyone in city government be in that position.
7:16:37
Okay.
7:16:37
I give it strange.
7:16:38
Yeah.
7:16:38
I think that's great.