Opinion
July 12, 1996
Appeal from the Supreme Court, Onondaga County, Mordue, J.
Present — Pine, J.P., Fallon, Wesley, Balio and Boehm, JJ.
Order unanimously reversed on the law with costs and motion denied. Memorandum: Supreme Court erred in disqualifying J. William Ernstrom and the law firm of Ernstrom Dreste from representing defendant. "A party seeking to disqualify an attorney or a law firm, must establish (1) the existence of a prior attorney-client relationship and (2) that the former and current representations are both adverse and substantially related" ( Solow v. Grace Co., 83 N.Y.2d 303, 308). Plaintiff failed to show that the former and current representations are substantially related. Further, there is no proof that Ernstrom or the law firm acquired any confidential information during the prior representation of plaintiff by the predecessor law firm of Ernstrom Estes. That prior representation consisted of about 30 minutes of consultation regarding the withdrawal of a bid for construction work on an unrelated project. Two associates of the predecessor firm represented plaintiff, and those associates have never worked for Ernstrom Dreste. No work was performed by Ernstrom on that matter. Because there is no realistic possibility that confidences were disclosed, application of the presumption of disqualification is not warranted ( see, Solow v. Grace Co., supra, at 313-314).