Q: Dear Ethics Lawyer, I represented a company let’s call Acme Rocket Cycle Co. while at a firm let’s call Wolf, Wolf and Coyote. I left the firm and took client Acme with me. Only I did any work for Acme while at the firm. May my old firm now represent their client Roadrunner, adverse to Acme, in a new matter that is not related to any matter I handled while at Wolf, Wolf and Coyote?
A: Yes, so long as the new matter your old firm is taking on for Roadrunner is not substantially related to a matter that you handled for Acme while you were at the firm. As concerns the firm, Acme is a former client. Model Rule 1.10(b) permits the lawyers of your former firm to be adverse to your client once you (and the client) left the firm, so long as: it is not the same or substantially related to a matter you handled at the firm, and the lawyers remaining in the firm do not have confidential information protected by Rules 1.6 or 1.9(c) that is material to the matter.