MI · rules
MRPC Rule 6.2
Accepting Appointments
A lawyer shall not seek to avoid appointment by a tribunal to represent a person except for good
cause, such as:
(a) representing the client is likely to result in violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct or
other law;
(b) representing the client is likely to result in an unreasonable financial burden on the lawyer;
or
Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct 80 Updated with MSC order(s)
(c) the client or the cause is so repugnant to the lawyer as to be likely to impair the client-lawyer relationship or the lawyer’s ability to represent the client.
A lawyer ordinarily is not obliged to accept a client whose character or cause the lawyer regards
as repugnant. The lawyer’s freedom to select clients is, however, qualified. All lawyers have a
responsibility to assist in providing pro bono publico service. See Rule 6.1. An individual
lawyer fulfills this responsibility by accepting a fair share of unpopular matters or indigent or
unpopular clients. A lawyer may also be subject to appointment by a court to serve unpopular
clients or persons unable to afford legal services.
Appointed Counsel.
For good cause, a lawyer may seek to decline an appointment to represent a person who cannot
afford to retain counsel or whose cause is unpopular. Good cause exists if the lawyer could not
handle the matter competently (see Rule 1.1) or if undertaking the representation would result in
an improper conflict of interest. Good cause also exists if the client or the cause is so repugnant
to the lawyer as to be likely to impair the client- lawyer relationship or the lawyer’s ability to
represent the client. A lawyer may also seek to decline an appointment if acceptance would be
unreasonably burdensome, for example, when it would impose a financial sacrifice so great as to
be unjust.
An appointed lawyer has the same obligations to the client as retained counsel, including the
obligations of loyalty and confidentiality, and is subject to the same limitations on the client-lawyer relationship, such as the obligation to refrain from assisting the client in violation of the
rules.
Provenance
- Source
- www.adbmich.org
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-30
- Edition
- 2026-09-29
- Content hash
af6c12c54f7c8fe3ab18748864e3ff1448092766a8d6687deb49dbf9228a4c5f
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