Family implodes after woman's lawyer brother-in-law reps her ex in divorce.

Out of all the sitcoms in the world, and all the wacky Lifetime movies, there's hardly a one that comes to mind like this. Which is a disappointment, because this has made-for-TV-Emmy writtten all over it. On Reddit's venerable Am I the A**hole subreddit:

AITA for calling my sister’s husband a piece of s**t because he’s representing my ex in our divorce?

I asked my ex for a divorce two months ago and I found out a week later that my sister’s husband was going to be his solicitor. I wasn’t completely surprised as my ex has helped his career a lot but I was still hurt when my sister told me.

I’ve avoided him since finding out but my parents invited everyone over for dinner and I missed them so I went. I tried really hard to bite my tongue but he kept referring to me as my ex’s wife and told me that if he was me, he would stay married because I was going to lose a lot if I divorced my ex.

I ended up telling him he was a real piece of sh*t in front of everybody, including his daughters.

My sister got angry at me for saying that in front of her daughters but I was so mad I told her I didn’t care because he was a bastard so now she's pissed at me.

AITA?

NOT THE MOST WONDERFUL ATTORNEY. Naturally, many of the comments focused on the legal ethics of representing a family member.

'I can’t stop thinking about that dinner,' writes Veni_vidi_Dixi, one particularly haunted commenter. 'Wouldn’t his suggestion that she 'stay married because she could lose a lot in the divorce' count as legal advice?' This just feels super unethical and sleazy.

Ksscustomer concurs: 'NTA. Sounds like he could be breaking some rules by doing this, like he could get confidential information through your sister, etc.'

'Might be able to get him removed and /or screwed for misconduct.'

Others focused less on the legal, more on the common sensical. No_Good_Namez says: 'Representative or not, it is vile to bombard you at family dinner with unsolicited marital advice that sounds threatening. It’s also gross he thinks you should stay in a marriage for gain. NTA.'

Ivanthemute says:

NTA and a massive ethics breach. Yes, he's family, and that alone is enough for him to be censured by the state bars here in the US.

Lemoneecrush says:

NTA. I can almost get past him being his lawyer if they’re close but even that feels gross as your ex should understand that he is your family member and should not be involved.

Where I go complete NTA is his bringing up information that he only knows because of his professional relationship with your ex in a personal setting. It’s rude, wrong and probably could get him in trouble with a judge.

INFO: How do you parents feel about this? Feels really slimy for them to just be chill about it.

OP responds:

My parents have been trying to convince me to not get a divorce since they found out so while they’re upset with my brother-in-law they’ve mostly been focused on persuading me to tell my husband I didn’t mean it.

I realised we got married too young and I’m not happy anymore. My parents think I have postnatal depression again and that’s why I feel like this and that I’ll regret it in a few years if I do this now.

FantasticCockroach63 says:

NTA he should have said it would be a conflict of interest and deferred him to another lowater lawyer.

His comments at dinner were unwarranted and he should have kept them to himself.

In the court of Reddit opinion — this man? He already lost. Judge, give us a rimshot.