Legal Question in Criminal Law in Pennsylvania

I am breaking the law, and I tell you so. Are you required to report me to the police?


Asked on 6/28/13, 7:23 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

No. Anything you say to a lawyer is confidential - unless whatever you relate about breaking the law includes murdering someone. Lawyers have to follow the professional rules of conduct and they usually entail not violating the attorney client privilege.

Besides, people say crazy things. Does the lawyer have any proof that the law is in fact being broken? And why do you have an attorney-client relationship? Does it relate to the criminal conduct? If you rob a bank, get caught and are charged with bank robbery and you then tell your criminal lawyer that you robbed the bank then your lawyer has a problem and cannot continue to represent you. But that seems different from your scenario. Although if you are charged with bank robbery and you then tell the lawyer not about the robbery but about some other prior criminal conduct, then no, your lawyer cannot report you to the police. The lawyer would be violating the rules of conduct. Its not the lawyer's job to help the police.

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Answered on 6/29/13, 12:25 am


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