Tish Tacopina, the wife of Joe Tacopina, chooses to keep her personal life private. There is little information available about her personal life except that she met Joe while attending law school.
Subsequently, the couple relocated to Westport, 1 Connecticut, which is Tish Tacopina’s hometown.
Joseph Tacopina is an American attorney who is representing Donald Trump in a Manhattan District Attorney investigation related to allegations of hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. This situation has sparked controversy due to a potential conflict of interest after it was revealed that Joe may have been approached by the former adult film star to act as her legal representative after the allegations became public.
Controversy Arises Over Joseph Tacopina’s Attorney-Client Privilege with Stormy Daniels
Ryan Goodman, a former special counsel with the Department of Defense, highlighted in a tweet on Friday afternoon that Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina had publicly admitted to having a previous attorney-client relationship with Daniels, raising concerns about attorney-client privilege.
Joe Tacopina, Trump’s attorney, had an attorney-client relationship with Stormy Daniels.
Under ABA and NYS ethics rules, it is hard to see how he can represent Trump; refute Daniels’ claim of an affair; label her as an extortionist (and Trump as the victim).
In his own words in 2018👇 pic.twitter.com/I5Q25yMFWx
— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) March 17, 2023
Tacopina stated in a 2018 interview with CNN’s Don Lemon, “I can’t discuss my opinions or any conversations we’ve had due to attorney-client privilege which applies even to a consultation.”
Attorneys in New York State are legally prohibited from revealing any information or discussions related to a client’s case, even if they eventually decide not to represent them.
In this instance, observers believe that Tacopina may potentially use information obtained from the admitted meetings to support his new client’s case, which would constitute a clear violation of New York’s ethical standards.
Former federal prosecutor Michael McAuliffe commented, “If an attorney had preliminary but protected communications with Ms. Daniels regarding the Trump payment matter, that attorney would likely have a conflict of interest in later representing Trump in the same matter or involving the same issues. The attorney could not ethically use any information acquired during privileged communications against a former client.”
He also added that Tacopina would need to explain how he could maintain confidentiality about his prior discussions with Ms. Daniels due to attorney-client privilege.
However, Tacopina could still possess information from Daniels and represent Donald Trump, a situation that appears to be at odds with ethical rules and common sense.
A spokesperson for Tacopina’s law firm denied the allegation, affirming that Tacopina never met with Daniels.
The spokesperson clarified that there was no conflict or attorney-client relationship. Tacopina neither collaborated with Stormy Daniels nor scrutinized her documents.
On the contrary, someone inquired on her behalf if Joe would act as her lawyer, and he declined the request.
These allegations have emerged amid growing speculation that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg may potentially indict Trump for allegedly directing his former associate Michael Cohen to make the payment to Daniels during the 2016 election campaign.
On Friday, March 17, 2023, NBC News reported that five senior officials indicated that local, state, and federal law enforcement officials were preparing for the possibility that Trump could be indicted as early as next week following the former president’s request to testify before a grand jury this month.
