Joe Tacopina’s wife, Tish Tacopina, prefers to keep her life private. Not much is known about her personal life except that she met Joe in law school.
The couple then moved to Westport, 1 Connecticut, where Tish Tacopina grew up.
Joseph Tacopina is an American attorney representing Donald Trump in a Manhattan District Attorney investigation into his accused involvement in hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. the allegations were initially made public.
Trump’s Attorney Joseph Tacopina’s Attorney-Client Privilege With Stormy Daniels Sparks Controversy
Ryan Goodman, a former special counsel at the Department of Defense, noted in a tweet Friday afternoon that Trump attorney Joe Tacopina had already confessed on national television that he had a past attorney-client relationship with Daniels, and so attorney-client privilege.
Trump attorney Joe Tacopina has had an attorney-client relationship with Stormy Daniels.
Under ABA, NYS ethical rules, hard to see how he can represent Trump; call Daniel’s claim of affair false; call her a blackmailer (and Trump the victim).
In their own words in 2018 👇 pic.twitter.com/I5Q25yMFWx
— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) March 17, 2023
Tacopina informed CNN’s Don Lemon in a 2018 interview, “I can’t really talk about my impressions or conversations we had because there’s an attorney-client privilege that even comes with a consultation.”
Lawyers in New York State are legally restricted from disclosing any information or conversation about a client’s case, even if they ultimately refuse to represent them.
In this case, according to observers, Tacopina could have used information obtained during meetings he confessed to having to boost his new client’s case against her, a clear violation of New York’s ethical standards.
Former federal prosecutor Michael McAuliffe said: “If an attorney had had even preliminary but protected communications with Ms. Daniels regarding the Trump payment issue, that attorney would very likely have a conflict of interest to later represent Trump in the same case or involve the same issues. The lawyer could not ethically use information obtained during privileged communication against a former client.”
He added that Tacopina would need help explaining how he cannot reveal his previous conversation with Ms. Daniels because attorney-client privilege protects them.
However, Tacopina can know Daniels’ information and still represent Donald Trump. The two claims seem irreconcilable under the rules of ethics and common sense.
The spokesperson for Tacopina’s law firm disputed the claim, insisting that Tacopina never met Daniels.
He explained that there was no conflict and no attorney-client relationship. Tacopina did not merge Stormy Daniels or examine her documents.
On the contrary, someone questioned on her behalf whether Joe wanted to represent her, and he declined the application.
The allegations come amid mounting speculation that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg could potentially sue Trump for instructing his former associate Michael Cohen to deliver payment to Daniels during the 2016 election campaign.
On Friday, March 17, 2023, NBC News quoted five senior officials as saying that local, state and federal law enforcement officials were already preparing for the possibility that Trump could be referred as early as next week following the ex-president’s request to carry witness this month before an impressive jury.
