Arrested Development

The Maryland Court of Appeals has disbarred an attorney for misconduct in two client matters.

The attorney had repeatedly been late and unprepared for court appearences, failed to enter an appearance in a case after the court had directed her to do so, billed a client an unreasonable fee in apparent retaliation for a bar complaint, taken fees from trust without client knowledge and failed to turn over files after termination of representation.

The court noted that the attorney had once arrived 40 minutes late but that the "hearing was most notable not for its delayed start but for its bizarre conclusion, which prompted [the client] to seek a new lawyer. At the close of the proceeding, [the attorney] was arrested by deputy sheriffs for reasons unrelated to the divorce action." This led the client to review the file left behind and conclude that the attorney was not prepared.

The arrest was based on a bench warrant that was not found: "The record casts no further light on this event." (Mike Frisch)