A Private Matter

A court-appointed attorney who accepted a retainer from his client has been publicly censured by a Colorado Hearing Board.

The client was a defendant charged in two drug cases. He and the attorney had discussions about converting the matters to private (i.e. retained) representation. The attorney took a $5,000 retainer and "made statements [to his client] implying that private representation would be superior to public representation."

The hearing board rejected a number of charged violations but found that the conduct violated RPC 8.4(d), which prohibits conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. (Mike Frisch)