What issue is primarily addressed by Rule 1.7?

Rule 1.7 of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct primarily addresses concurrent conflicts of interest. This rule emphasizes the importance of a lawyer's duty to avoid situations where their representation of one client may be adversely affected by their responsibilities to another client or their own interests.

The rule outlines the conditions that must be met for a lawyer to represent multiple clients, emphasizing the necessity of obtaining informed consent from all affected clients after full disclosure of the risks involved. The rationale behind this is to protect the integrity of the attorney-client relationship and ensure that clients receive undivided loyalty and advocacy.

In contrast, options related to confidential information, lawyer-client communication, or non-lawyer assistant responsibilities pertain to different aspects of professional conduct and do not specifically focus on conflicts of interest as addressed in Rule 1.7. These other areas, while important for ethical practice, do not capture the primary concern of balancing potentially conflicting interests when a lawyer represents multiple parties.