IntroductionSocial workers are increasingly recognized as an inevitable part of interdisciplinary teams in addressing the needs of clients seeking legal remedies and services. The relationship between social work and law has developed since 1917, when Mary Richmond, architect of modern social work, recognized the role of legal authorities by developing her conceptual model for social work (Forgelson, 1970). Subsequently, Mary Richmond drafted one of the first social work codes of ethics in the early 1920s (Reamer, 1987). However, from a development perspective, all 50 states in the United States have passed statutes requiring professionals in certain disciplines, including social work and law, to report any abuse or crime that has occurred in the past or will occur in the future. near future if there are good reasons to believe it is true. Dubose and Morris (2005) stated that very few states have passed similar mandatory reporting statutes for lawyers. Not surprisingly, only a few states have accepted these statutes due to the presence of the attorney-client privilege statute, which is true for all states. Because of the differences between the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the NASW Code of Ethics, professionals in their respective disciplines may have conflicts while both providing social and legal support to the same client from a domestic violence organization. There are two main reasons that allow this tension to occur: social workers are obligated to report child abuse and neglect, but lawyers, in contrast, have an ethical responsibility to maintain client confidentiality (Taylor, 2006). This article explores how social workers interface with advocates when both work in a shelter or any other domestic violence organization. This p...... half of the article ......t (Garza, 2002). While confidentiality is a core value for both professionals, the range and degree of confidentiality owed to a client. Communication privilege also includes advice, opinions, and information conveyed, developed, and gathered that cannot be disclosed outside of the attorney-client relationship. Should the lawyer ask his client to specifically consult with a social worker knowing that the latter may report to the respective protection agencies, such lawyer could be charged with violation of the MRPC and subject to fines and disbarment. Therefore, neither advocates often encourage self-reporting, nor do they report any form of abuse, even if the abuse involves children (Jonson-Reid, 2002). The NASW Code of Ethics requires social workers to keep confidential all information obtained during professional services, except for compelling professional reasons..