Condo Media - May 2015 - 18

Asked & Answered

In Whose Interests

Does the Association Attorney Represent the Board or Owners?

Q
A

I'm concerned about the legality of some of the decisions made by the board in my condo community.
When I asked the association's attorney for advice,
he told me that he represents the board and can't
advise individual owners. This seems wrong to me.
Owners pay the attorneys' legal fees through our
assessments. Shouldn't the attorney be looking out
for our interests, not the board's?

Cameron Pease, Esq., a partner in Goldman & Pease,
LLC, says he gets this question frequently from owners who often make your point: The association's
attorney ought to represent the owners who pay his or
her fee. But that's not how it works.
An association is the equivalent of a corporation,
he explains. A corporation attorney represents the interests of the corporation as a whole, not the interests
of individual shareholders. An association attorney,
similarly, represents the association. The board owners elect to represent them, and the board, representing the collective interests of the association, is the
attorney's client, Pease says. Owners are sometimes
convinced they're acting in the best interests of the
association, but in fact, he tells them, "they only represent themselves."
When owners ask him for legal advice, Pease
doesn't advise them to hire an attorney to represent
them. "I don't want to encourage litigation," he

"A corporation attorney
represents the interests of
the corporation as a whole,
not the interests of individual
shareholders. An association
attorney, similarly, represents
the association. "
-Cameron Pease, Esq.,
Partner, Goldman & Pease, LLC
18

CONDOMEDIA

notes. But he does suggest that they attend meetings,
express their concerns to the board, determine if
other owners share their view, and try to persuade
the board to change the decision the owner doesn't
like. He also points out that owners who don't like the
board's decisions can run for the board themselves.
"But most of the time, people who are complaining
want to complain from the sidelines; they don't want
to sit on the board themselves," Pease says.
Association attorneys face a more difficult challenge when board members fight each other. "The
worst thing you can do is take sides (in these disputes)," Pease says. You have to explain that upfront,
offer what you think is the best advice for the association, and encourage them to resolve their differences.
But if they can't and some sitting board members sue
others, there's only one option for the attorney, he
says. "You have to recuse yourself."



Condo Media - May 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - May 2015

Table of Contents
Condo Media - May 2015 - Cover1
Condo Media - May 2015 - Cover2
Condo Media - May 2015 - 1
Condo Media - May 2015 - 2
Condo Media - May 2015 - Table of Contents
Condo Media - May 2015 - 4
Condo Media - May 2015 - 5
Condo Media - May 2015 - 6
Condo Media - May 2015 - 7
Condo Media - May 2015 - 8
Condo Media - May 2015 - 9
Condo Media - May 2015 - 10
Condo Media - May 2015 - 11
Condo Media - May 2015 - 12
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Condo Media - May 2015 - 15
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Condo Media - May 2015 - 19
Condo Media - May 2015 - 20
Condo Media - May 2015 - 21
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Condo Media - May 2015 - 60
Condo Media - May 2015 - 61
Condo Media - May 2015 - 62
Condo Media - May 2015 - 63
Condo Media - May 2015 - 64
Condo Media - May 2015 - Cover3
Condo Media - May 2015 - Cover4
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