California Bar Approves Blanket Sex Ban

Sacramento, CA —   Lawyers could get disciplined for having sex with their clients.

The new rules were passed by the State Bar of California Board of Trustees on Thursday as part of an overhaul of attorney conduct standards. Current state rules bar attorneys from coercing a client into sex or demanding sex in exchange for legal representation. The new rule bans sex all together between lawyers and clients. This would put California in line with more than a dozen other states that have a similar blanket sex ban.

Supporters argue the relationship between a lawyer and client is inherently unequal, so any sexual relationship is potentially coercive. But critics call the rules an unjustified invasion of privacy.

The new rule now heads to the California Supreme Court, which has the final say.