Legal Ethics
Double Trouble for Italian Attorney & Unlicensed Twin
Overwhelmed with work in her law practice and part-time position as a substitute judge, a 54-year-old Italian attorney allegedly exercised an option that isn’t available to most of her colleagues:
She apparently sent her twin to cover her defense caseload when she was called in to work as a judge elsewhere in Milan, reports Reuters, relying on coverage from Corriere della Sera, the country’s leading newspaper. However, the alleged substitute sister isn’t a lawyer, and clients soon figured out the difference.
Now both sisters, whose full names aren’t reported, are defending twin criminal and civil cases.
“The problem was that sister Patrizia was not a lawyer like sister Gabriella but charged the clients anyway,” the news agency writes.