The lawyer's independence as protection against conflicts of interest

In the course of their personal and professional lives, individuals are involved in a multitude of interests, which can take many different forms. These interests are not limited to a single field, and can be economic, political, trade-union, associative, family or even friendly in nature. This diversity underlines the complexity of the situations a person may be confronted with, particularly when it comes to identifying a possible conflict of interest, which can undermine the impartiality and independence required in certain situations. For lawyers, independence is fundamental and, as an essential principle of the legal profession, can only be guaranteed if there are rules in place to prevent and punish conflicts of interest. This is why it is essential to understand the general concept of conflict of interest and that applicable to lawyers (A), in order to know how it can be avoided or sanctioned in the practice of the legal profession (B).