Our Name Is New, But Our 任务 Is Not

From 华盛顿澳门赌场官网, February 2016
作者:吉恩·希普

On December 19, 2015, the Office of 酒吧 Counsel became the Office of Disciplinary Counsel. We had been 酒吧 Counsel since 1973. We have never been the attorney or general counsel for the D.C. 酒吧 nor have we ever represented the 酒吧, but more than occasionally we have had lawyers 和 the public assume that was our role.[1]

Since we opened our doors, the office has been the prosecutorial arm of the D.C. Court of Appeals' disciplinary system. What is our connection to the 酒吧? We were established by the D.C. 上诉法院根据《澳门赌场官网》第11条建立了规范澳门赌场官网行为的纪律制度.C. 上诉法院规则 Governing the 酒吧.[2] The same set of 规则—from 规则 I through IX—was used to create the 酒吧. 我们与澳门赌场官网协会的关系是，澳门赌场官网协会理事会为专业责任委员会(BPR)的每个空缺提名澳门赌场官网。, the 董事会 approves our budget, 和 the 酒吧 pays our bills.[3]

有这样的历史(不是澳门赌场官网澳门赌场官网，是独立的纪律检察官), why should we be called 酒吧 Counsel? On request of the 董事会 of Governors 和 BPR, 上诉法院将我们重新命名，以反映我们的实际身份——纪律顾问办公室. Now this does have a slightly harsh connotation 和 cuts against 42 years of tradition. 毕竟, we are members of the National Organization of 酒吧 Counsel, which came into existence after Watergate. This was the period when attorney discipline was professionalized. 一些澳门赌场官网事务所作为总法律顾问代表他们的澳门赌场官网事务所，同时处理纪律问题. 然而, most disciplinary prosecutors have moved away from this relationship, 变得独立了, 和 have been rebr和ed either as disciplinary counsel or regulation counsel.[4]

If you have read this far, you may be saying, "who cares" or "what does this have to do with me?" Well, we are really the last profession that self-regulates. It is clear to me that self-regulation is ours to lose. 如果我们做得不好，其他玩家就会进来承担这个非常重要的责任.

纪律澳门赌场官网办公室的存在是为了保护公众免受澳门赌场官网违反《澳门赌场官网法》的不道德或不当行为的侵害.C. 规则 of Professional Conduct. We take that responsibility very seriously. 今天, 这个办公室调查和起诉的案件是我几年前加入办公室时我们无法承担的. 我们现在有资源和必要的资金来处理复杂的情况，例如长期以来被忽视的国际事务和冲突. 例如, 我们处理了上诉法院裁决导致重新审理移民案件和授予身份从而停止驱逐出境的移民问题.

自我规范和保护公众需要澳门赌场官网的合作，因为他们发现自己是被告. Truthful 和 c和id answers to our inquiries serve the public, 纪律制度, 和, 最终, 涉案澳门赌场官网. While we are now named Disciplinary Counsel, we still have the resources 和 willingness to assist attorneys in improving their practice. A successful investigation often ends with the complainant underst和ing the resolution, maybe having a fee returned or the matter completed by the attorney in a successful manner, 和 the attorney having an appreciation of how to avoid such complaints in the future.

No one wants a letter from the newly named Office of Disciplinary Counsel. 还记得, 澳门赌场官网执照是一种特权，并伴随着职业行为规则和规则十一所规定的义务. 如果我们想保持自我监管的职业，我们都需要认真对待我们的道德责任. The office welcomes the day we seek less discipline despite our new name. Please help us in that endeavor.

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笔记

[1]一次, in 1982, 我是“当天的澳门赌场官网”，当时一位市民打电话报名参加一个课程，学习如何制作各种鸡尾酒.
[2] You can find this body of rules appended to the D.C. 上诉法院规则.
[3]专业责任委员会是我们的管理机构，是纪律事务的二级裁决机构.
[4] D.C. 澳门赌场官网协会的法律顾问办公室在道德规范等方面为澳门赌场官网提供保密帮助, 实践管理, 上瘾, 心理健康问题, 以及费用仲裁. The office is not a part of the Office of Disciplinary Counsel.

Disciplinary Actions Taken by the 董事会 on Professional Responsibility

原来的问题

我是埃莉诺·奈斯. 酒吧没有. 287391. 2015年11月12日. The 董事会 on Professional Responsibility recommends that the D.C. Court of Appeals disbar Nace. 除了, as a condition of reinstatement, 审计委员会建议要求国家开发署向客户安全信托基金归还2美元,050 (less any amounts repaid), with interest at the legal rate. While retained to represent a client in matters relating to that client's earlier divorce, Nace failed to provide competent representation, failed to serve the client with skill 和 care, failed to represent the client zealously 和 diligently, intentionally failed to seek the lawful objectives of the client, failed to act with reasonable promptness, failed to keep the client reasonably informed, 未将预付费用存入信托或托管帐户，直至赚取并肆意挪用委托资金, failed to surrender papers 和 property after termination of the representation, failed to respond to a disciplinary authority, 和 engaged in conduct that seriously interfered with the administration of justice. 规则1.1(a), 1.1(b), 1.3(a), 1.3(b)(1), 1.3(c), 1.4(a), 1.15(a), 1.15(e), 1.16(d), 8.1(b)和8.4(d).

我是丹尼尔。. 维姆霍夫. 酒吧没有. 420233. 2015年11月20日. The 董事会 on Professional Responsibility recommends that the D.C. Court of Appeals suspend Wemhoff for 30 days 和 that the suspension be stayed, 和 that Wemhoff be placed on probation for one year, with the condition that he undergo an assessment by the assistant director of the D.C. 酒吧 Practice Management Advisory Service (PMAS), or a designee; implement any recommendations that the PMAS may make; 和 sign a limited waiver permitting the PMAS to confirm his compliance with this condition, 和 his cooperation in the assessment process. The disciplinary proceeding arose out of Wemhoff's representation in a civil action. 具体地说, 韦姆霍夫在未经授权或其他正当理由的情况下披露了他的当事人的机密和秘密, knowingly disobeyed an obligation under the rules of a tribunal, 和 engaged in conduct that seriously interfered with the administration of justice. 规则1.6(a), 3.4(c)和8.4(d).

Disciplinary Actions Taken by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals

原来的问题

在re Andre ?. 理发师. 酒吧没有. 466138. 2015年11月12日. D.C. Court of Appeals disbarred 酒吧ber. The matters arose out of 酒吧ber's involvement in a series of l和lord–tenant disputes, one in which he was the tenant 和 in the others he was counsel for the tenants. 巴伯对自己的房东提起了毫无意义的诉讼，并在代表三名租户时参与了广泛的不当行为, two of whom he eventually sued for fees, in their dispute with another l和lord. 酒吧ber engaged in frivolous 和 burdensome litigation tactics, pursued meritless claims for attorney's fees, 违反法院命令, failed to cooperate with 酒吧 Counsel's investigation, 和 made false representations in both judicial 和 disciplinary proceedings. 规则1.3(b)(2), 1.4(a), 1.7(b)(4), 3.1, 3.2(a), 3.2(b), 3.3(a), 4.4, 7.1(a), 7.5(a), 7.5(d), 8.1(a), 8.4(c), 8.4(d)，和8.4(g)和D.C. 酒吧R. XI，§2(b)(3).

IN RE ATHANASIOS BASDEKIS. 酒吧没有. 463692. 2015年11月12日. D.C. 上诉法院接受了巴斯德基斯的协商纪律申诉，并将他停赛四个月, 缓期执行，在不受监督的情况下缓刑18个月. The violations stem from Basdekis's neglect of six clients that occurred from 2002 to 2006. 规则1.1(a), 1.1(b), 1.3(a), 1.3(b)(1), 1.4(a)和3.2(b).

IN RE SANDY THOMAS-BELLAMY. 酒吧没有. 1011060. 2015年11月12日. D.C. 上诉法院接受了托马斯-贝拉米关于协商纪律的请愿，并将她禁赛一年. 托马斯-贝拉米在申请进入哥伦比亚特区澳门赌场官网协会的过程中违反了四条规定. 规则8.1(a), 8.1(b), 8.4(c)和8.4(d).

互惠的事情

In re melodie v .旋律. 舒勒. 酒吧没有. 488686. 2015年11月5日. In a reciprocal matter from Maryl和, the D.C. 上诉法院对舒勒进行了同样的互惠纪律处分，并将她停职30天，复职的条件是她证明她的残疾已经根据D.C. 酒吧R. 十一，第13(g)条. 在马里兰州, Shuler was found to have essentially ab和oned her representation of a client.

在我的脑海里. 史密斯. 酒吧没有. 392331. 2015年11月5日. In a reciprocal matter from Maryl和, the D.C. Court of Appeals imposed identical reciprocal discipline 和 disbarred Smith. 在马里兰州, Smith was found to have failed to comply with recordkeeping requirements, allowing a nonlawyer assistant to intentionally misappropriate over $600,000 of entrusted funds belonging to Smith's clients.

詹姆斯·c. 小踏上归途. 酒吧没有. 297762. 2015年11月5日. In a reciprocal matter from Colorado, the D.C. 上诉法院撤销了昂德希尔之前的缓刑，并将他停职三个月零一天, with a requirement that he demonstrate his fitness to practice law prior to reinstatement. 在科罗拉多州, 安德希尔被发现违反了他的缓刑，因为他多次就诉讼主题直接与代表方沟通.

非正式的警告 Issued by the Office of 酒吧 Counsel

在这里. 罗伯特·布莱. 酒吧没有. 424844. 2015年10月30日. 酒吧 Counsel issued Blakey an informal admonition. While retained to represent a client, who was in-house counsel, 她试图提供证据证明她的前雇主涉嫌从事非法活动, Blakey assisted that client in knowingly revealing confidences 和 secrets, or using a confidence or secret to the disadvantage of a former client. 规则8.4(a).

约翰?. 戴维斯. 酒吧没有. 931600. 2015年10月21日. 酒吧 Counsel issued Davis an informal admonition. While representing clients in three independent matters, Davis violated multiple 规则 of Professional Conduct. 具体地说, while representing a client in her efforts to resolve her unfavorable employment situation, 戴维斯未能在合理必要的程度上解释此事，以允许客户就代理作出明智的决定，也未能以书面形式提出收费的基础或费率. 规则1.4(b)和1.5(b). While representing a client in a District of Columbia Superior Court civil case, Davis failed to provide competent representation, failed to represent the client with diligence 和 zeal, 和 engaged in conduct that seriously interfered with the administration of justice. 规则1.1(a), 1.1(b), 1.3(a), 1.3(c)和8.4(d). 从2009年到2015年初，断断续续地代表一名客户在多起案件中起诉其雇主, 戴维斯未能以勤勉和热情代表客户，也未能在合理必要的程度上解释此事，以允许客户就代理作出明智的决定. 规则1.3(a), 1.3(c)和1.4(b).

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The Office of Disciplinary Counsel compiled the foregoing summaries of disciplinary actions. 纪律澳门赌场官网发出的非正式训诫，以及专业责任委员会发出的报告和建议，均载于www.dcattorneydiscipline.org. Most board recommendations as to discipline are not final until considered by the court. 法院的意见刊登在《澳门赌场官网》上，1998年8月以来发布的判决也可在网上查阅. To obtain a copy of a recent slip opinion, visit www.dccourts.gov/internet/opinionlocator.jsf.