No Lesser Discipline

An attorney who had been suspended for 18 months in Virginia has received identical reciprocal discipline in the District of Columbia.

The court noted that one of the violations found in Virginia involved providing financial assistance to a client and that the D.C. version of that rule is less restrictive. However, the sanction was within the range for similar misconduct even if that violation was not considered. Indeed, the court expressed the view that the sanction might be greater in an original case. (Mike Frisch)