Report Your Convictions, Indiana Lawyers; Scammed; School Board Lawyers Indicted over Free Lunch?;

Those other Rules also Count to the Ind. Supreme Court

There are several (18) sets of rules that lawyers need to know about as a part of your practice, and sometimes we forget them. One that bit a lawyer recently was the rule on reporting our convictions.  No, not our deeply held principles, but the convictions we get for violating the law. The Rule is A&D Rule 23 §11.1 (a)

(2)    An attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Indiana who is found guilty of a crime in any state or of a crime under the laws of the United States shall, within ten (10) days after such finding of guilt, transmit a certified copy of the finding of guilt to the Executive Secretary of the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission.

The 18 sets of Rules on the Court’s website can be found here.

Gary Selig, of Indianapolis, was convicted in 2003 of OVWI, but did not report it to the Disciplinary Commission. In 2013 he was again convicted, and started treatment. This time the conviction was reported, apparently by the judge (see below) His matter went to the Commission, and was docketed with the Supreme Court on two charges: Committing a criminal act that reflects adversely on his fitness to practice (RPC Rule 8.4(b) and Failure to Report the 2003 conviction (A&D Rule 23 §11.1(a)(2)).

The penalty: 30 days suspension from the practice of law, stayed for a six months probationary period with terms to help with the alcohol issues in his life, and to remain under JLAP supervision.  Good luck.

While it is probably painful to report a criminal conviction, it will be an aggravation factor if you don’t. Judges:  if a lawyer is convicted in your court, you also have a duty under 11.1(a)(1) to report that conviction within ten days.  Don’t overlook that duty.

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When the money is coming from Nigeria – Be careful

At least he did not fall for an email from Nigeria, but maybe what he did was worse.  Above the Law has the snarky version of the tale of the Iowa lawyer who not only fell for the $18.8M scam, but convinced several clients to invest in the up front payment of $177,660 to get that big check. He did it for the client who got him into this mess, (a criminal defendant with a pending case) and for the 10% finder’s fee that Robert Allen Wright Jr. (lawyer son of a prominent Iowa lawyer) was expecting out of the deal.

He even tried to get the funds from the Bank of Nigeria and the President of Nigeria (Nigeria is ruled by an Edo – the title used by the current “ruler” of Nigeria.)

Among the charges that were filed was a charge of Fraud on Clients, but it was dropped by the Disciplinary Board, because the evidence showed that Wright did not know there were no funds, and that he still is delusional about the prospect of obtaining the Nigerian cash, any day. Stupid is as stupid does…

He was suspended for a year from the practice. No word on restitution to the clients who were duped, and no requirement was stated for IQ or EQ testing before reinstatement.  Sounds like it might be a good idea.

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Got to Quit Reading NJ Law Journal
School board lawyers in NJ get indicted on Free Lunch scam for Board Members.

School Board member reports to the board lawyers that his income statement was “misstated” by his wife and he wanted to correct it “so I don’t end up like” another board member who was under investigation for getting free lunches when her kids were not eligible, due to her income.

The lawyers solved the problem for the board member, by conspiring to hide evidence, and telling staff to remove lunch applications from files, and doctor computer records, all to cover up for the various board members’ misdeeds.  Oops.   It was reported that:

A state grand jury in Trenton charged Capece and Nelson [the lawyers] with second-degree conspiracy and official misconduct, third-degree tampering with public records and physical evidence, and fourth-degree hindering prosecution.

If convicted, they would spend a minimum of five years in jail without parole and could pay fines of $150,000.

(emphasis added)

And you thought we school board lawyers lived quiet lives.

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FYI, Last Friday, I presented a three-hour CLE (one hour ethics) seminar on Representing and Working with a Not for Profit Entity.  A good session sponsored by the Northern Indiana Community Foundation (Fulton, Miami and Starke Counties), the Marshall County Community Foundation and the Pulaski County Community Foundation. If you are interested, contact me at ted@peterson-waggoner.com

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Slap for not Following Trial or Appellate Rules; CFAF & Attorney Surrogate Issues: Outing your Client, not a good thing: Let’s Party

Lawyers Need to Know (or read) and Follow Rules

It seems to be painful to be a stickler for rules (which appellate judges often are) and read some appellate submissions.  From time to time the Court of Appeals will send a subtle message to the Bar about the quality of advocacy, but subtly was not the tool used in Judge Bradford’s opinion in Duensing v. Johnson.  The appellate lawyer was 3 for 3 in footnotes admonishing him for rules violations or for confusing the court. A couple other chiding comments come through over the weakness of the arguments submitted.

Appellee lawyer also took a shot for citing a NFP opinion as authority for an argument as well.

Read the case and remember that some trial judges also expect the lawyers to know the difference between different kinds of motions made at different times in the trial.

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Hamilton the Birdman – Two Lessons in One Headline:  What do you know about CFAF? How are you with the Attorney Surrogate Rule?

Bradley Hamilton, a Kokomo lawyer appears to have closed shop and fled to Australia.  He had some notoriety in the Howard County area for his willingness to “flip the bird” to news cameras.  The story reports that several clients had paid funds to Hamilton, and may have lost their retainers.  No criminal charges have yet been filed.

Local Kokomo lawyer Brent Dechert is stepping up to help the clients of Hamilton.  He filed a Petition for Appointment of an Attorney Surrogate* to allow him to access the files and trust account of Hamilton.  The Petition was granted and Dechert has given public notice of the appointment.  This results in the clients getting their files back, or transferred to a new lawyer who will work with them on their matters. Dechert said that he does not handle the kinds of cases Hamilton did, so there is little likelihood that he will take over many of the cases.

Not reported in the article is the existence of the Clients Financial Assistance Fund, of the Indiana State Bar Association.**  The fund, created by the  ISBA several decades ago, provides a partial remedy to those clients who have had funds stolen from them by their lawyer.  An individual client can recover up to $15,000 with a standing cap of $50,000  total reimbursement for all client losses due to the acts of a single lawyer.

The CFAF committee meets as needed (and fortunately it is not needed too often) to consider and investigate claims.  The funds in the CFAF are a part of the annual dues of ISBA members. The claim application is available.at the ISBA website here.

*  I am chair of the ISBA Special Committee on Attorney Surrogate Rule

**  I served more than ten years as a member of the Clients Financial Assistance Fund Committee for the ISBA.

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Sharing evidence on YouTube can get you suspended.

An IL lawyer thought his client was entrapped by police in a drug bust, so he posted the undercover video taken by the police online.  He titled the video  “Cops and Task Force Planting Drugs.”

By doing so he exposed a confidential informant of the police department, and he violated the client’s confidentiality without informed consent. The Disciplinary Counsel also accused Jesse Raymond Gilsdorf of Mount Sterling, IL with implying police wrongdoing without evidence to back up the charge.

Apparently he watched the video on a small monitor and thought it showed entrapment, but after posting the video, and then seeing the recording on a large screen monitor realized it proved the client’s guilt. She took a plea, he got charged.

The IL Hearing Board recommended a five month suspension of Gilsdorf’s license.  We will see what happens.

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Party in Rochester, courtesy of PWP

This Friday, the Peterson Waggoner & Perkins law firm will host “A Grand Night for Music III.” It is an occasional celebration for clients and friends of the law firm  The Atlanta Music Hall Band, straight from Atlanta Music Hall in Atlanta IN, will perform Swing and Jazz standards, and the dance floor will be out. Love to have you here. Call the office for tickets.

How Stupid is that Other Party?; Should I Push that Client?; Extra Punishment for Public Officials; Ogden Update

Legal writing experts tell lawyers to be careful with tone and expressions of disdain or dismissive attitudes towards opponents in motions and briefs.  And lawyers understand (usually) that what might work in traffic court should not be tried in Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals.  And lawyers who represent big clients, like State Farm Auto ought to expect extra scrutiny from courts and judges (mostly due to the respect courts often are suspected of giving to the biglaw lawyer types who represent the big companies.

Imagine what the discussion with General Counsel for State Farm was for the lawyers in Bennett v. State Farm earlier this week.  The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals (one level below the US Supreme Court in the judicial hierarchy) mocked the insurance company’s lawyers for their brief opposing the efforts of the Bennetts to get what they had coming from Mrs. Bennett being struck while walking her dog.

The opening sentence of the opinion states:

There are good reasons not to call an opponent’s

argument “ridiculous,” which is what State Farm calls Barbara Bennett’s principal argument here. The reasons include civility; the near-certainty that overstatement will only push the reader away (especially when, as here, the hyperbole begins on page one of the brief); and that, even where the record supports an extreme modifier, “the better practice is usually to lay out the facts and let the court reach its own conclusions.”[citations omitted]  But here the biggest reason is more simple: the argument that State Farm derides as ridiculous is instead correct. (emphasis is added).

Oops.  That qualifies as a slapdown.  Now we don’t know which lawyer of the team of Richard M. Garner or Gregory H. Collins, both Ohio lawyers, gets credit for the brief, but the other probably had an opportunity to say “maybe we ought to read our client’s insurance policy before we ask the court to ignore the definition plaintiff is asking for.”

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Clients in dissolution cases can be difficult. they are going through a stressful time in their lives. They often have to deal with their lawyer, the spouse, the spouse’s lawyer, and maybe the kids.  you expect them to lose their cool on occasion.

Lawyers are to be the professionals, even when our client is not dealing well with matters.as well as we want.  Kokomo lawyer Dan May, a long time practitioner, forgot for a moment.

The details are sketchy, but include him shoving the client over the courtroom railing, a battery charge, a diversion agreement, and now a 60 days suspension with automatic reinstatement.

As Sgt. Esterhaus used to say:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmg86CRBBtw

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We appreciate our public officials in strange ways.  We pay them less than they could make as practicing lawyers (at least that is the myth – see the SSF Conference Salary Survey report here from 2007).  Then when a public official has a bad moment, we hold her to a higher standard.

Lori Hittle is a part-time deputy prosecutor in Howard County.  She pleaded guilty to OVWI.  Took her punishment in court, got a month suspension from her job without pay, and now gets a public reprimand. That is a bit more than the normal lawyer gets for such an offense, often getting a private reprimand with JLAP provisions.

But we hold public officials to a stricter standard.

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Finally, Paul Ogden update.

I have commented on the Ogden disciplinary case several times, like here, and here. Paul writes about it on his blog with more regularity than most would. Tuesday Ogden said that the Disciplinary Commission is seeking a one year suspension in his post here. He follows up with more commentary in Thursday’s post here.

I will let Paul Ogden speak for himself.  The issues are complex, and important. As a lawyer, you need to think about them.  If you are not a lawyer, you ought to consider where your rights to speak freely are if the lawyers lose their rights.

Pretend you are a Supreme on DI cases; Duty when depressed; Sign Here Please; Filing Taxes is Timely

As a trial, I will be sharing the facts of a few DI cases, and poll the readers how they think the Court ruled, as punishment for the violations. Later in the blog entry I disclose the Court’s actual decision. Are you tougher than a Supreme?

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William Dittrich neglected several cases over a four-year period. The neglect included failing to do the work, refusing to respond to clients’ requests for information, not placing unearned fees in trust and failing to refund unearned fees.

He knew he had health and depression issues, but did not seek adequate treatment, and placed his interests ahead of his clients’ interests.

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Unsigned document to file with the court, client forgot to sign her name. What do you do? There are several wrong answers: file it unsigned, ask the staff to sign for the client, or worst of all – sign the client’s name to the document. Ray Robison chose the worst of the options.

Sisters were co-personal representatives, one signed all but one document in the stack of papers. Robison signed her name to the unsigned document, then sent them to the sister for her signatures. Sister noticed that the signature was not right.

Robison cooperated, withdrew without a fight, and the court acknowledged that his purpose was to avoid inconveniencing a client. But it was a violation of Rule 8.4 on fraud, dishonesty, deceit or misrepresentation.

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SC lawyer David Flowers failed to file tax returns for 2007-2010. An anonymous complainant reported these facts to the South Carolina Disciplinary Commission, and it got ugly. SC found he violated Rule 8.4 of the RPC, together with two other codes of lawyer conduct.

He admits he wants to give up the practice of law, and suffers from the stress of the practice. He has not yet paid the taxes due.

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Dittrich, got 90 day suspension with automatic reinstatement. Is working with JLAP according to the Opinion.

Robison got an agreement for a public reprimand accepted by the Court.

Flowers got 90 day “definite suspension” meaning that he must file for reinstatement, and he may not file until after he pays the taxes. There must have been some interest in figuring out who the “anonymous source” was, as it made the opinion.

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Tell me if you liked the polls in the body of the blog.

Sex causes trouble for lawyers and (sr.) judge; Theft and Tax Evasion are problems too.

New York lawyers

In NYC a law firm partner got sued for sexually harassing a junior lawyer in the firm. That happens and is hardly news anymore. What got the NY Times to react was – he not only denied it, but he filed a counterclaim. She says he had his way, against her will, several times and places. Her claim, she quits her job due to his actions, and sues him and the firm.

He comes firing back and gets headlines. He says he turned her down and called a cab to take her home after she suggested that “if he wanted, she would not say no!” He says she was spurned, and “Hell hath no fury…” This will be interesting to watch. Embedded in the Times article is the so-called “lurid complaint” and the counterclaim.

Indiana Sr. Judge and practicing lawyer

Lisa Traylor-Wolff is from near my office, and was the judge of the then two-county  (Fulton-Pulaski) County Court before we asked the legislature to separate the courts in the 1990s.  Several years ago the Pulaski County voters chose another to serve as judge, and she has been practicing since that election – probably 8-10 years ago.  She has served as Senior Judge under the Administrative Rules, #5(B), since her return to private practice.

She was appointed the public defender of S.W. a prisoner at the Miami Correctional Center, and according to the Supreme Court’s Published Order “engaged in an improper romantic relationship” with the client S.W.  That was a violation of Rule 1.7 (a)(2) of the Rules of Professional Conduct, and as she is qualified as a Sr. Judge, the actions also violated Rules 1.2 and 3.1(C) of the Indiana Code of Judicial Conduct.

For this Traylor-Wolff gets a lifetime suspension from serving in any judicial capacity, and a one year suspension from the practice of law, with all but 45 days withheld, and two years of probation. Among the probation terms are working with JLAP; stay away from S.W. (is he the victim?); no violations of RPC; and pay costs.

Marion County Prosecutor goes after admitted and alleged bad lawyers

Terry Curry is going after bad guys, and as prosecutor that is his (and his office’s) job.  Two recent targets are Indy lawyers David Rees and Steven Geller. 

Rees is alleged to have stolen estate funds, after eight years of administration of the estate of his client there was about $400,000 unaccounted for. He also was charged with Obstruction of Justice for filing a false “final accounting” that claimed the missing money was still in the account.

According to the Prosecutor’s press release, Rees has admitted the theft of $270,549 of estate funds, agreed to plead guilty and could face up to eight years for the Class C and D felonies.

Geller was charged with the failure to file multiple Indiana tax returns, earning an Evasion of Tax charge as a Class D Felony. Expect the federal charges to follow.

Win One, Still Trouble; Charge for That? Neglect of Client in several ways

This is a Win?
The lawyer got sued for malpractice for failure to talk client out of a litigation financing deal. The court ruled that he wins since the lawyer did not refer the client to the lender, did not recommend the use of a litigation financing  program, and did not offer an opinion supporting the deal with the lender when the client made the loan.

Elwin Francis suffered a personal injury. He filed suit, but found himself needing funds up front, So, he borrowed funds from Law Bucks, who submitted a lien for $96,000 on the settlement.

The law firm representing Mr. Francis settled the personal injury matter for $150,000, with consent, and when all the expenses were  paid, Mr. Francis got a check for $111. He did not think that was enough, so he sued his lawyers. [Apparently the client forgot the $$ he got from Law Bucks]. The NY court looked at the documents, at the duty that the lawyer took on in representing Mr. Francis, and at the facts to see if there was conflicting duties that extended to Law Bucks, and found there was no endorsement or contacts between the firm and Law Bucks.

Getting sued by a client is trouble, but winning is good.

Lesson for us?  Stay out of endorsing a lender in a litigation financing program. You may become the guarantor.

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Charge for that?

Rule 1.8(j) has been around for a while. It is a pretty straightforward rule: “A lawyer shall not have sexual relations with a client unless a consensual sexual relationship existed between them when the client-lawyer relationship commenced.”  Pretty close to a “Thou shalt not ….” with fewer exceptions than the Rule on Hearsay.

Tom Lowe, a lawyer from Minnesota is old enough to have been around when the MN Supreme Court enacted that rule there.  Sexual relations rulings in ethics cases have been around for decades, and the Rule changes started popping up in several states in the late 1990s (IL 1997, Kan 1998). The no-sex Rule came about as a part of the McCrate Amendments to the Model ABA Rules of Professional Conduct in 2002. Indiana adopted the current Rule 1.8(j) on Sept. 30, 2004, as part of the comprehensive update of the RPC (at p. 39 of the Order)*

So Lowe not only violated that rule, but, to add insult to injury he added the time he spent with her (a family law client) while he breached the rule to her bill.  [insert your inappropriate hourly billing (or quarter-hour or one/tenth hour) or other time based billing quip at this spot – I am trying desperately to leave those and other puns out of the post.]

There are important reasons for the rule about sex with a client, and I am not making fun of those, but his billing for his time?  That reminds me of this song…

Lowe got an indefinite suspension of his license, with a minimum period of 15 months before he may apply for renewal. Well done MN.

* I chaired the ISBA subcommittee that reviewed the ABA proposals and led to the addition of 1.8(j) to the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct. Thanks to my subcommittee.

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Client Neglect Stemming from Mental Health Issues

The front page of the Indiana Judges & Lawyers Assistance Program website states: Research has shown that lawyers may suffer from substance abuse and depression at a rate higher than the general population. Experience has shown that lawyers may be more reluctant than others to seek help for their own problems.

One of the critical consequences of mental health problems is the impact on our clients.  As stated by JLAP Ex. Dir. Terry Harrell: “When I hear that a good lawyer, with no history of neglecting clients, is not returning telephone calls — my radar goes up and I start looking for other signs of depression.” She shares statistics on the increased level of mental health problems that should cause every lawyer to take a slow look in the mirror. Women lawyers appear to have a 10% greater problem than the general female population, while male lawyers  reportedly suffer a problem with depression at a rate more than 200% of the general male population.

When lawyers neglect clients for any reason the clients often get upset. If there is not a good reason for the perceived neglect (such as, “I am in trial all month…”) and the client does not see a way to successfully get the lawyer’s attention, a complaint to the Disciplinary Commission may be their only recourse.

Several cases recently have highlighted the issue of mental health, and I will focus on one. This lawyer (I don’t need to name him) recently stipulated to the following facts: The misconduct includes neglecting clients’ cases, failing to do the work for which he was hired, failing to respond to clients’ requests for information, failing to inform clients of the status of their cases, failing to safeguard unearned fees by placing them in a trust account, and failing to completely refund unearned fees. Respondent knew he was suffering from depression and other health related issues that interfered with his ability to attend to his clients’ needs.”

The lawyer and the Commission agreed that these violations of the Rules occurred: “The parties agree that Respondent violated these Indiana Professional Conduct Rules prohibiting the following misconduct: Rule 1.3: Failure to act with reasonable diligence and promptness. 1.4(a)(3): Failure to keep a client reasonably informed about the status of a matter. 1.4(a)(4): Failure to comply promptly with a client’s reasonable requests for information. 1.15(a): Failure to safeguard property of a client. 1.16(a)(2): Failure to withdraw from representation when the lawyer’s physical or mental condition materially impairs the lawyer’s ability to represent the client. 1.16(d): Failure to refund an unearned fee promptly upon termination of representation. 3.2: Failure to expedite litigation consistent with the interests of a client.”  That is quite a list.

There is the specific requirement under Rule 1.16(a)(2) that states the affirmative duty that a lawyer “shall not represent a client…if: (2) the lawyer’s physical or mental condition materially impairs the lawyer’s ability to represent the client.”

We need to talk about this situation more.  There was this previous post on Age Related Issues in the Law, but it did not tie the violation to 1.16(a)(2). Apparently we need to have more discussion about this.  There are 10,000 Baby Boomers hitting 65 every day. They are not all lawyers, but enough of them are for problems to show up..  65 is not the magic age where age related cognitive disorder hits, but it is one birthday closer to the issue showing up.

Mental illness extends far beyond age related disorder, and beyond depression, bi-polar disorder and other issues.  But it hits lawyers in greater numbers than the general population.  When it hits, all the suffering lawyer’s clients are affected. Be aware.

Good Use of Probation; So bad, so bad; Reciprocal Discipline imposed

Using Probation in Disciplinary Proceedings

Drugs and alcohol are problems for lawyers.  The evidence is clear that many problems come from addictions. The Indiana Supreme Court and Disciplinary Commission recognizes that reality with greater frequency.  Take Marla Muse’s case as an example. The facts are sketchy in the opinion, but they start with a plea of Guilty to Possession of Marijuana as a Class D Felony.

RPC Rule 8.4(b) states that “It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to: (b) commit a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s … fitness…”  Ms. Muse agreed that she violated that standard.  The court’s sanction is as follows:

For Respondent’s professional misconduct, the Court suspends Respondent from the practice of law for a period of 180 days, beginning February 15, 2013, with 30 days actively served and the remainder stayed subject to completion of at least two years of probation. The Court incorporates by reference the terms and conditions of probation set forth in the parties’ Conditional Agreement, which include:(1) Respondent shall maintain complete abstinence from mind-altering drugs during her probation.(2) Respondent shall have no violations of the criminal law of this state or the Rules of Professional Conduct during her probation.(3) If Respondent violates her probation or the JLAP monitoring agreement, the Commission will petition to revoke her probation and request the balance of the stayed suspension be actively served without automatic reinstatement, and Respondent may be reinstated only through the procedures of Admission and Discipline Rule 23(4) and (18).

It seems that a period of probation, working with JLAP in a well monitored probation program will do more to protect the clients of Ms. Muse than any longer suspension and return to the profession without requiring some assistance.  *

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How bad can one lawyer get?
Amy McTeer had it bad for the guy. Amy was a criminal defense lawyer, who forgot that you want to be sure at the end of the case it is the client who goes to jail. She worked hard, and got him out of jail, the illegal way – she helped him escape. To compound matters she posted photos on Facebook of her out with the escapee. She was arrested in 2011 for these matters, and the Oklahoma Supremes finally accepted her resignation of her license.

The whole sordid story, drugs and troubles can be found here.

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Reciprocal Discipline

Did you realize that if you get busted in one state for ethical violations, it can carry over to other states where you are licensed?

Mark J. Hughes, a now former member of the Indiana Bar was disbarred in Arizona. The State Bar of Arizona reported:

In the matter of Mark J. A. Hughes, the Presiding Disciplinary Judge accepted a consent agreement between Hughes and the State Bar and ordered him disbarred.

In three cases, the State Bar charged that Hughes revealed information relating to the representation of a client without informed consent, engaged in conflicts of interest and failed to take steps to protect his client’s interests upon termination of representation. The State Bar also alleged that Hughes failed to maintain confidences and preserve the secrets of his client, engaged in unprofessional conduct, and made disparaging, offensive, and provocative comments and accusations about his client and client’s family members in their presence. Finally, the State Bar charged that Hughes engaged in the unauthorized practice of law while suspended. Hughes agreed not to contest any of the charges.

As a result of the consent agreement, the Presiding Disciplinary Judge issued an order on May 1, 2012, declaring Mark J. A. Hughes’ disbarment. Hughes must pay $1,202 for all costs and expenses associated with the State Bar of Arizona’s investigation.

The Indiana Supreme Court sent Hughes a Rule to Show Cause why similar treatment should not occur here in Indiana. The standard under the A&D Rule 23(28)(c) is that similar treatment should occur here. No reply as to why it should not.

* The author is a JLAP volunteer.

Be nice to your SO; Get along with the Voters; Be a Careful Witness

Don’t Hit Your SO

BigLaw partner loses his job, and family, after being charged with assault. During a dispute with his Significant Other, King and Spaulding lawyer Steven Guynn, forgot the basic concepts of alternative dispute resolution, and allegedly resorted to hitting.

Reading the news today (and any day since you were three years old) a lawyer, especially a 59-year-old corporate lawyer, should know that hitting girls is not an effective means of winning a dispute.

He is no longer listed on the BigLaw firm’s website, and they will not answer questions about him.

These things never lead to good outcomes, Guynn’s wife has now filed for dissolution of the marriage.  The wife was not the hittee, that was his mistress (to use an old-fashioned term, which 59-year-old lawyers can do).  Several bad decisions rolled into one situation.

Too bad the generals are not reading this blog.

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The Voters have Spoken

Judge Cynthia Brim shoved a Chicago courts deputy last March, and was charged with Battery. She was also barred from the courthouse without a court approved escort, by the presiding panel of judges. Suspended from the job, and charged with a crime, she still sought judicial retention while also pleading temporary insanity for her act of Battery.

With a retention vote of 67.5%, she gets to keep her job, or at least her paycheck.

She returned to Court the day after the election, but it was to answer to the misdemeanor Battery charges. At that hearing she submitted her insanity defense to the charge. The court appointed psychiatrist agrees she was suffering from bi-polar disorder at the time of the crime, but while properly medicated can stand trial, and could return to work.

The Chicago Bar Association had recommended that Judge Brim lose her position, but the Cook County Democratic Party endorsed her retention. The voters retained Judge Brim. No report that the judicial panel has said if she can return to her courtroom yet.

As a supporter of merit selection with retention ballots, I must admit that the system is not perfect. I hope the IL JLAP program is on the case.

There are serious issues involved in bi-polar disorder, and the medical profession is working hard in its efforts to help those suffering. Lawyers and judges who are medically affected by a variety of illnesses must seek treatment early, and not allow the illness to interfere with the rights of clients or litigants. The ABA Journal report does not tell us if Judge Brim is doing that, yet.

H/T Professor George Smith.

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Trying to Make a Point as an Expert

Dean Borland is a lawyer and computer expert.  He testifies as an expert in trials. He explains his analysis with computer skills and tries to make his points to the jury in an understandable fashion.  This time he succeeded too well. [paywall protected]

In a criminal trial about child pornography, he showed the jury how easy it is to replace the face of an adult porn model with the face of a child, twice. He showed them that a possessor of such a photo would not be able to know that the image was modified.  Doing this, he committed the very crime he was testifying about, in open court, on the record, of “possessing an image modified to appear as if a minor is engaging in sexually explicit conduct.”

He was charged with that crime, and entered a pretrial agreement with the Cleveland US Attorney, and apologized to all through the Cleveland Bar Journal.

Lesson learned, right?  Well, no. The children’s images he used were professional models, and by putting their image on the body of a nude model (makes it sound less sleazy to say ‘nude’), he exploited the children in a way that also violates the federal law. A victim of a sex crime who suffers any kind of personal injury is entitled to a judgment of not less than $150,000, irrespective of the actual damages. There were two child victims who sued.  The federal trial court first threw out the case, saying no real harm was done, but the Sixth Circuit Appellate Court disagreed.  Borland ends up paying the $300,000 for the damages he did.

As the Sixth Circuit Court said “Congress meant business in awarding the damages the way that it did.”  Borland learned that lesson the hard way, and so have you, at much lower cost.  Be safe out there.

H/T Olmstead

New Rules for Lawyers and Judges: Living with the Rules; What is JLAP?

New Rules to Review

Six new sets of rules are going into effect for Indiana lawyers and judges on Jan. 1, 2013 based on a series of Ind. Supreme Court rulings issued in Sept.  The list of new 2013 orders (plus three effective July 1, 2012), if you have not seen them is here: http://www.in.gov/judiciary/2784.htm

It always pays to read the rules.

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Paying for Disclosure Violation

One hard fast rule in Bankruptcy Court is for the lawyer to disclose any interest, direct or indirect, in representations in the case.  In a recent bankruptcy case in Georgia, the lawyer was required to disclose any interest in any creditor of the bankrupt client before representing the client.  In this case the lawyer forgot to disclose that he and his wife were shareholders in a creditor bank, while her father had been bank president, board member and chair of the bank’s board, and to top it off, the lawyer’s former partner was general counsel to the bank.  Oops.

The opinion, as reported by the Business Reporting Committee, does a nice job of listing the five factors to used in determining if a disclosure misstatement is to be actionable, and here it clearly was an intentional misstatement of reality.  The court cut the law firm’s fees by $20,000 which should get these folks attention. And yours.

H/T Gregory Jordan for the link.

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What is JLAP?

One of the critical pieces of the legal system in Indiana was created in 1997, by adoption of Rule 31 of the Admission and Discipline Rules of the Supreme Court.

JLAP’s purpose “is assisting impaired members in recovery:” of all kinds.  It is designed to “provide assistance to judges, lawyers and law students who suffer from physical or mental disabilities that result from disease, chemical dependency, mental health problems or age that impair their ability to practice;…”

Terry Harrell is the extremely competent and compassionate Executive Director.  If you have questions about your situation, or the situation of a friend or colleague, you should review Rule 31 here and call JLAP for information and assistance.  The program has volunteers around the state, so you may get someone from nearby to provide assistance.

Of course the important thing is, if you or someone you know needs help, you should call. Today, or tomorrow. The impact of the call can be life saving, or might protect the rights and property of a client. Good faith calls get some qualified immunity under Section 9.  Call.  It is better than being required to report misconduct if you don’t call.