What is the main ethical principle involved in managing conflicts of interest in legal practice?

The main ethical principle involved in managing conflicts of interest in legal practice is professional integrity. This principle emphasizes the lawyer's duty to maintain honesty and loyalty towards their clients, ensuring that they act in the best interests of their clients while avoiding situations where their own interests, or those of another client, could interfere with their professional judgment.

In legal practice, conflicts of interest can arise in various forms, such as when a lawyer represents multiple clients whose interests may be adverse to one another. Professional integrity requires the lawyer to disclose any potential conflicts and, when necessary, to withdraw from representing a client to preserve the integrity of the legal profession and the trust placed in them by clients. Upholding professional integrity helps maintain public confidence in the legal system and ensures that lawyers fulfill their ethical obligations.

While client confidentiality, financial gain, and personal relationships can be relevant factors in the practice of law, they do not encompass the broader ethical duty that encompasses managing conflicts of interest. Client confidentiality is primarily about protecting sensitive information, financial gain can introduce bias, and personal relationships may complicate an attorney's judgment, but none address the overarching obligation to uphold professional integrity in all dealings with clients.