Okay, Paul…it’s your fight
Indy lawyer Paul Ogden writes a blog and challenges authority regularly. Today (Thursday) he threw a punch at the Disciplinary Commission with this blog post.
His trial before the Indiana Supreme Court is next Tuesday, July 30.
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But Alex, Don’t forget to Fight the cases you are hired to fight.
Alex Voils was hired to fight an insurance company for benefits as the company denied the client’s claim in 2005. In 2009, after repeated requests for action, the client fired Voils. Then he failed to provide the file to new counsel and he ignored the Disciplinary Commission’s request for a response to the grievance.
The parties agreed on discipline of 30 days suspension with automatic reinstatement. The court suggested that punishment might have been more severe if there had not been an agreement. They agreed that Voils violated three rules:
1.3: Failure to act with reasonable diligence and promptness.
1.16(d): Failure promptly to return to a client case file materials to which the client is entitled after termination of representation.
8.1(b): Failure to respond in a timely manner to the Commission’s demands for information.
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Disability Suspension
We don’t see too many of these, and as the Boomers age, and the Greatest Generation ages even more, we may see these with more regularity. Indy lawyer Mary K. Kleiss was accused by the Disc. Comm. of being disabled “by reason of physical or mental illness or infirmity, or because of the use of or addiction to intoxicants or drugs.” No more is described. Kleiss filed an Affidavit of Consent to the Disability Suspension.
The Supreme Court accepted the filings and suspended Kleiss under the A&D Rule 23(25), and ordered that she may petition for reinstatement upon the termination of the disability. Good Luck.
Lawyers with Troubles 