Articles Tagged with attorney discipline

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The Connecticut Attorney’s Grievance Committee has rejected a settlement based on a lawyer’s failure to document legal transactions between the law firm and their former client.

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The Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) recently suspended a Massachusetts attorney, who made intentional misrepresentations to four of his clients. In the matter of Alexander R. Cain, an attorney was found to have fabricated documents, lied to his clients, and failed to diligently pursue his client’s claims and interests.

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An Evidentiary Panel of the Grievance Committee for the State Bar of Texas has disbarred a Texas Attorney for practicing law while his license was suspended. In Commission for Lawyer Discipline v. Charles D. Septowski, an attorney was serving a three month suspension under a previous disciplinary judgment.

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The Vermont Professional Responsibility Board has ordered that an attorney receive a public reprimand for violating multiple Vermont Rules of Professional Conduct. In the matter of John Burke, the estate of a deceased Ohio man hired a Vermont attorney to assist in transferring property in Vermont owned by the decedent to his son. Continue reading

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The Supreme Court of Kansas has disbarred an attorney for his conduct as defense counsel in a capital murder case. In the Matter of Hawver, a Kansas attorney represented a criminal defendant accused of murder, despite having no prior experience trying capital murder cases. He also did not associate with competent co-counsel, or obtain additional training or education to become competent.

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The Supreme Court of Nebraska has suspended an attorney for an indefinite term after finding that she disclosed confidential information about a client.  In re Donna J. Tonderum, a Nebraska attorney informed a prosecutor that she believed one of her former clients was guilty of a crime.

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The Supreme Court of Louisiana has disbarred an attorney after finding that he failed to refund unearned attorney’s fees to 26 clients.  In re Charles Tanner Phillips, II, a Louisiana attorney accepted and kept attorney’s fees from multiple clients, but did not perform any substantive legal work in return.

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The Supreme Court of Wisconsin has suspended an attorney after finding that he engaged in unethical conduct.  In re Disciplinary Proceedings Against Kratz, a Wisconsin district attorney met with the victim of domestic abuse to discuss the case, which he was prosecuting against her ex-boyfriend.  After the meeting, the attorney and the victim exchanged personal cell phone numbers. Over the following three days, the attorney sent the woman 30 text messages, some of which contained sexually explicit language that the woman felt was offensive.

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The Texas Board of Disciplinary Appeals (“Board”) has disbarred an attorney after he was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with his operation of an investment scam.  In the Matter of Roger Lee Shoss, an attorney created fraudulent business entities using the names of corporation’s companies, which were still listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange, but had lost their corporate status, due to their failure to pay taxes.

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The Florida Supreme Court has entered a judgment suspending an attorney for three years, after finding that he violated the Florida Rules of Professional Conduct.  In Florida Bar v. Bruce Edward Committe, an attorney filed a lawsuit on behalf of a client against a defendant, alleging that he maliciously interfered with a business relationship of the client and slandered the client.

The defendant moved for summary judgment.  The court granted the motion, holding that there was no admissible evidence to support either count of the client’s complaint.  Following a hearing on the motion, the court ordered the attorney and his client to compensate the defendant a total of $13,000 for his attorney’s fees and court costs.  The attorney subsequently appealed.

The Florida First District Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court’s decision.  After the appeal, the defendant sent two letters to the attorney requesting that he pay his portion of the judgment.  After he received the second letter, the attorney wrote to his local district attorney and claimed that the defendant was attempting to extort him.

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