Understanding the Ex Parte Communications Ban in Employment Disputes

One of the biggest issues with ex parte communications in the employment setting involves the question of whether a plaintiff's attorney may have ex parte communications with employees of a defendant corporate entity without violating ethical rules. See generally Ellen J. Messing & James S. Weliky, Contacting Employees of an Adverse Corporate Party: A Plaintiff's Attorney's View," 19 Lab. Law. 353 (2004). However, this article focuses on the situation in which the employee or employer, as clients of an attorney in a legal dispute, attempt to contact adverse represented parties or persons.

Overview