What must be done to comply with rules regarding conflicts of interest in legal practice?

To adhere to the rules regarding conflicts of interest in legal practice, it is essential to obtain consent from affected parties. This means that if a potential conflict of interest arises—such as representing a client that may have adverse interests to a past or current client—the attorney must generally disclose the nature of the conflict and seek informed consent from all parties involved before proceeding with the representation.

This is a fundamental aspect of ensuring that clients are aware of any competing interests that may affect the attorney's ability to represent them fully and fairly. The consent must be given knowingly and voluntarily, ensuring that clients understand the implications of the conflict.

While notifying the client about the conflict or consulting a senior partner can be part of the steps an attorney takes, those actions alone do not satisfy the requirement of obtaining consent from the affected parties, which is a central tenet of managing conflicts of interest effectively in legal practice. Similarly, written disclosure to the government, while relevant in certain contexts, does not address the requirement that directly pertains to the relationship between the attorney and the clients involved in the conflict.