Improper Withdrawal

An attorney was reprimanded by the Missouri Supreme Court for withholding the labor certification of his client in an immigration case after the lawyer had terminated representation. He then sued the client for the fee and wrote a letter to the INS attacking the client's character. The court found that the lawsuit did not justify the disclosures to the INS, which violated the duty of confidentiality.  A dissent would have imposed a six-month suspension, noting that the attorney said he would possibly do the same thing if he had the chance for a "do over." (Mike Frisch)