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Ga. R. Prof. Conduct 6.2

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Rule 6.2 Accepting Appointments

← Previous Rule 6.1: Voluntary Pro Bono Public Service Next → Rule 6.3: Membership in Legal Services Organization

Rule Text

For good cause a lawyer may seek to avoid appointment by a tribunal to represent a person.

There is no disciplinary penalty for a violation of this Rule.

Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)

This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.

Lawyers can be asked by a court to represent someone, often in cases where the person can't afford a lawyer. This rule says a lawyer doesn't have to automatically accept that assignment. If the lawyer has a good reason, they can ask the court to excuse them from taking the case.

What counts as "good cause" can vary, but it usually means something like a conflict of interest, lack of experience in that area of law, or a reason that would make it hard for the lawyer to do a good job representing that person.

The rule also makes clear that if a lawyer breaks this rule, they won't face professional discipline for it. This means there's no punishment like losing their license just for improperly avoiding an appointment. The rule is more of a guideline than a strict requirement backed by penalties.

Committee Notes

[1] A lawyer ordinarily is not obliged to accept a client whose character or cause the lawyer regards as repugnant. The lawyer's freedom to select clients is, however, qualified. All lawyers have a responsibility to assist in providing pro bono publico service. See Rule 6.1: Voluntary Pro Bono Publico Service. An individual lawyer fulfills this responsibility by accepting a fair share of unpopular matters or indigent or unpopular clients. A lawyer may also be subject to appointment by a court to serve unpopular clients or persons unable to afford legal services.

Appointed Counsel [2] For good cause a lawyer may seek to decline an appointment to represent a person who cannot afford to retain counsel or whose cause is unpopular. Good cause exists if the lawyer could not handle the matter competently, see Rule 1.1: Competence, or if undertaking the representation would result in an improper conflict of interest, for example, when the client or the cause is so repugnant to the lawyer as to be likely to impair the client-lawyer relationship or the lawyer's ability to represent the client. A lawyer may also seek to decline an appointment if acceptance would be unreasonably burdensome, for example, when it would impose a financial sacrifice so great as to be unjust.

[3] An appointed lawyer has the same obligations to the client as retained counsel, including the obligations of loyalty and confidentiality, and is subject to the same limitations on the client-lawyer relationship, such as the obligation to refrain from assisting the client in violation of the Rules.

[4] This Rule is not intended to be enforced through disciplinary process.

← Previous Rule 6.1: Voluntary Pro Bono Public Service Next → Rule 6.3: Membership in Legal Services Organization

Cross-References

Referenced By (1)

Ga. R. Prof. C. Rule 1.1

Bluebook Citation

Ga. R. Prof. Conduct 6.2

This Rule Set

View All Ga. R. Prof. C. Rules

Last updated: August 2026

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