One of the most fundamental concepts in a client-lawyer relationship is the lawyer's loyalty to the client. A lawyer shall not represent a client if the representation of that client will be directly adverse to another client.Michigan is one of a handful of states that operates as a pure referral fee state. That means attorneys do not have to assume joint responsibility. In this case, the trial court correctly instructed the jury that a professional relationship was required for the feesplit to be allowed under. There are no Michigan decisions suggesting that the client owns the file. Before 2002, there was no model rule in the American Bar. Association's Rules of Professional Conduct that banned attor- ney-client sexual relationships. Courts have long recognized the existence of the attorneyclient privilege. It's not universally prohibited to have a relationship with one's own client, except for particularly vulnerable clients.