Attorney Discipline for Breach of Settlement Confidentiality

An attorney was disciplined for using confidential correspondence from settlement negotiations as evidence in a divorce proceeding before the High Court, arguing that the relevant professional rule concerning confidentiality of settlement negotiations was only internal association law and not part of the generally binding, public-interest-related state professional law subject to disciplinary review. The supervisory authority rejected this argument, reasoning that while disciplinary authority is limited to violations of binding professional rules serving the public interest, the obligation to maintain the confidentiality of settlement talks serves the public interest by facilitating dispute resolution, preventing unnecessary litigation, and thereby relieving the courts, thus rendering a breach thereof punishable under disciplinary law.