I wonder if anyone has had opposing counsel, or anyone, require of them a POA in order to discuss a client's case. This has happened to me mostly when dealing with non-lawyers, who don't understand that a POA allows anyone to act on behalf of someone else without being an attorney. But, I've recently gotten such a demand from a deputy general counsel for a city agency.

My feeling has always been that I dislike executing unnecessary forms, or imposing needlessly upon clients' time, and that the demand for a POA creates an unnecessary delay, and that if I file suit, I will appear in court where in some thousands of appearances no judge has ever asked for my bona fides as an attorney, let alone a POA, and that a POA is quite simply not appropriate for legal counsel.

I also know from a few hundred depositions on behalf of plaintiffs that no defense lawyer would ever agree to turn over their retainer, given that even valid questions they interpret as invading the client-attorney relationship have always, in every jurisdiction and venue, from federal civil rights to sidewalk trip and falls, always resulted in a refusal to answer such questions, let alone disclose any documents. That seems, to me, analogous, so, I wonder what others think about the demand for a POA that I do not need, and how you have responded if you ever got such a demand.

Thank you, in advance,

Joe

Joseph P. Griffin

Attorney at Law

401 South Park Avenue
East Rockaway, NY 11518

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication may be confidential, is intended only for the use of the recipient named above, and may be legally privileged. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are notified that dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication, or any of its contents, is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please re-send this communication to the sender and delete the original message and any copy of it from your computer system.