Okuzeka
Law vocabulary · Legal Professions

Conflict of interest

Meaning in law, with examples

nounCommon term

In law, conflict of interest means: A situation in which a lawyer or other professional cannot act fairly for someone because of their own interests or a duty they owe to another person.

In Turkish: menfaat çatışması, çıkar çatışması

How it is used

Before taking a new client, firms 'run a conflict check'. Lawyers must 'declare', 'disclose' or 'avoid' conflicts and may have to 'decline' or 'withdraw from' a matter. Acting for both sides of the same dispute is the classic example. The plural is 'conflicts of interest'.

Example sentences

  1. We cannot act for the buyer because of a conflict of interest: we already represent the seller.

  2. The board member declared a conflict of interest and left the room during the vote.

Common collocations

  • run a conflict check
  • declare a conflict of interest
  • potential conflict of interest
  • avoid conflicts of interest
  • clientA person or organisation that receives advice or services from a lawyer or law firm and pays for them.
  • law firmA business in which lawyers work together to provide legal services to clients, often organised as a partnership.
  • impartialNot favouring either side in a dispute, so that the decision is based only on the facts and the law; a basic requirement for judges and arbitrators.
  • disclosureThe stage of an English civil case in which each party must reveal relevant documents and let the other side inspect them; more generally, the act of revealing information.
  • attorney-client privilegeThe rule that confidential communications between a lawyer and client made for legal advice are protected, so the client cannot normally be forced to reveal them.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Legal Professions

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.