In Re Jasmine S.

This is one of a number of appeals by the Children's Law Center of Los Angeles (the Center or CLC), all from orders of the juvenile court disqualifying the Center from representing children in dependency proceedings because of purported conflicts of interests (conflicts). [1] We consider whether the juvenile court erred in disqualifying one of the Center's units in a case involving the concurrent representation of two clients, siblings Jasmine S. and Lou D. (the children), with potentially adverse interests. The children were each represented by a different unit of the Center. The Center had created these units to enable it to provide, in the same proceeding, legal representation to multiple clients who might have conflicts. The juvenile court, questioning the integrity of the ethical walls between the Center's units, based its disqualification on what it determined was an "appearance" of a conflict. We reverse the disqualification order.

We hold that, consistent with California Rules of Court, rule 5.660(c) [2] and the California Supreme Court's decision in In re Celine R. (2003) 31 Cal.4th 45 , 1 Cal. Rptr.3d 432 , 71 P.3d 787 , an attorney representing multiple…