Skip to main content

The Lawyer's Lawyer

Lawyers Helping Lawyers Avoid the Perils of Professional Discipline
Categories
Tags
Categories:   All Categories
Suggested keywords
x

Young Lawyer Lessons

Rejecting Bar Counsel's call for an indefinite suspension, a five-judge majority imposed a 60-day suspension on a lawyer whose search for a mentor misfired.

Issue: What sanction should the Court impose upon a young lawyer whose joint venture with a more experienced immigration attorney led to the denial of a labor certification, complaints of inadequate communications and inaccuracies on a resume?

Holding: Beyond what the majority viewed as misrepresentations on her resume, the Court believed that this inexperienced lawyer's failure to verify the expertise of her supervising attorney, numerous errors made on the case and an alleged failure to adequately communicate with the client warranted a 60-day suspension.

Alleged Violations: Maryland Lawyers' Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1 (Competence), 1.3 (Diligence), 1.4 (Communication Generally), 7.1 (Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services), 8.4(a) (Violating MLRPC), 8.4(c) (Dishonesty, Fraud, Deceit or Misrepresentation), and 8.4(d) (Conduct Prejudicial to the Administration of Justice).

Argued: March 10, 2014

Decided: May 23, 2014

Read Opinion by Judge Watts

Tweet
Tags:
oral argument
Repeat Offender Spared Disbarment

About the author

Irwin R. Kramer

Irwin R. Kramer

Profiled in Who's Who in America and in A.M. Best's Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys, this former law professor has devoted a significant portion of his practice to the defense of his fellow attorneys in professional malpractice and disciplinary matters. Combined with significant trial and appellate experience in state and federal courts, Mr. Kramer's law firm management experience gives him an appreciation for the pressures of law practice and the ethical issues confronting attorneys on a daily basis. Full Profile

Related Posts

 
Attorney Grievance defense attorney specializes in defending lawyers in disciplinary proceedings before the Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission and the D.C. Bar's Board on Professional Responsibility involving professional misconduct, legal ethics, disbarment, suspensions of law licenses, petitions for disciplinary action, reprimands and sanctions for unethical conduct. If you receive a letter from Bar Counsel Lydia Lawless, Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton Fox, or from any attorney disciplinary board in Maryland or the District of Columbia, retain experienced attorneys with expertise in lawyer discipline and breach of ethics cases to avoid sanctions for professional misconduct. We help lawyers avoid disbarment, suspension, reprimands, censure and informal admonitions by drafting responses to client grievances and ethical complaints; representing lawyers in peer reviews, evidentiary hearings, and oral arguments before the BPR and the Court of Appeals; filing petitions to reinstate an attorney's license to practice law; conducting law firm ethical compliance audits; and drafting legal ethics opinions to protect lawyers from ethics charges. In many cases, disciplinary proceedings may be dismissed, dismissed with a warning, or result in a conditional diversion agreement with Bar Counsel to rectify misconduct. Lawyers may need help in managing their law firm attorney escrow IOLTA trust account and complying with attorney trust accounting rules to avoid charges of ethical misconduct. Do not represent yourself in responding to an attorney grievance, law firm client complaint, or other allegation of ethical impropriety. Attorney grievance defense counsel may help you comply with legal ethics rules, avoid sanctions like suspension or disbarment, and avoid future attorney grievances.

410.581.0070
By The Lawyer's Lawyers | Kramer & Connolly and Irwin R. Kramer who are responsible for the content of this informational website.   This website is designed for lawyers faced with attorney grievances. As cases do differ, past performance does not guarantee future results.
 

NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE ATTORNEY GRIEVANCE COMMISSION OF MARYLAND
OR THE BOARD ON PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE D.C. BAR