Rule 4.4 Respect for Rights of Third Persons

A lawyer can't use tactics that are only meant to embarrass, harass, or hurt someone who isn't even part of the case. Every action a lawyer takes needs a real legal purpose behind it, not just a way to make life difficult for someone else. Lawyers also can't break the law or violate someone's rights just to get evidence, even if that evidence would help their client.

The rule also covers what happens when a lawyer accidentally receives something they shouldn't have, like an email, letter, or document that was meant for someone else. If a lawyer gets this kind of mistaken material and realizes it was sent by accident, they have to tell the sender right away. This gives the sender a chance to fix the mistake, though the rule doesn't say the lawyer has to hand back the document or avoid using it. It simply requires honesty about the error so both sides know what happened.