Professional ethics

Is there suppose to some kind of ethics involved during an initial attorney and prospect client consultation?

I had a consultation with an attorney regarding a very complex sensitive matter to me, this attorney refuses to meet face to face, then calls 40 minutes after our scheduled call time.

I'm not comfortable talking to him about defendants' names and so forth until i know hes interested in the case then he threatens that if I dont tell him that he is just going to go to public records and find out.

what????

So you mean to tell me you're going to make me MORE uncomfortable, by going behind my back and fishing for information I did not want to give you? Where is the ethics in this consultation with the way the attorney has insinuated he would breach any trust I have, and he proceeded to dismiss the call and hang up.

What can i do the next time I have a consultation in a similar situation?

Nathan’s Answer

The attorney is doing a conflicts-check and getting a lay of the land. Just as a client needs to trust an attorney, an attorney needs to trust that a client can tell him everything. That is what the attorney-client confidentiality privilege is for.