A paralegal must recognize conflicts of interest, such as representing opposing parties in a dispute.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Only if both parties consent in writing
• D. Only in corporate matters

Answer: (A)

Conflicts of interest arise when a paralegal’s duties to one client could be harmed by duties to another or by information learned from one client. A core obligation is to protect client loyalty and confidentiality, which means you must recognize situations where representing opposing parties in the same dispute would place you in an untenable position. In such cases you cannot provide unbiased advocacy to both clients, and you could inadvertently reveal or misuse confidential information.

So the statement is true: a paralegal must recognize conflicts of interest, including representing opposing parties in a dispute. While some conflicts can be managed with informed written consent and disclosure in other contexts, representing both sides in the same dispute is generally not permissible because consent cannot eliminate the fundamental risk to loyalty and confidentiality. This issue can arise in many types of matters, not just corporate ones.