Obedience means doing what the principal asks. The duty of obedience does not, however, require doing things that are illegal, unethical or in conflict with other legal duties. The client’s instruction to the agent must be lawful instructions. That is, they must be instructions to do what the law allows done. In dual agency situations, obedience can cause problems. That is why disclosed limited and designated agency statutes have provisions that forbid agents involved in such relationships from taking actions that are harmful or detrimental to either party.
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