Title: Office of Disciplinary Counsel v. Tomasa

State: hawaii

Issuer: Hawaii Supreme Court

Document:

No. 27792

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF HAMAT'I

 
 

OFFICE OF DISCIPLINARY COUNSEL, Petitioner, »

RYAN H, TOMASA, Respondent .

 

(one 05-078-8230)

AMENDED ORDER OF SUSPENSION

(By: Moon, C.J., Levinson, Nakayama, Acoba, and Duffy, JJ.)

upon consideration of (1) Petitioner Office of

Disciplinary Counsel’s (Petitioner DC) March 30, 2006 motion for
an amended order of suspension, (2) the March 24, 2006 order of
suspension, and (3) the record, we hereby grant Petitioner ODC’s
March 30, 2006 motion and anend the March 24, 2006 order of
suspension with the following superceding language.

Based on the Disciplinary Board of the Hawai'i Supreme
(Disciplinary Board) March 1, 2006 report and
(Respondent

court's
recommendation to suspend Respondent Ryan H. Tom

 

Tomasa) from the practice of law for one year and one day, and
the record, we adopt Petitioner 00C and Respondent Tomasa’s
December 22, 2005 stipulation of uncontested facts, conclusions
of lax, aggravating factors, and proposed discipline, with the
exception, however, that we adopt only the following three of the

four listed mitigating factors: (1) Respondent Tomasa’s personal

or emotional problems; (2) Respondent Tomasa’s cooperative
attitude in the disciplinary proceedings; and (3) Respondent
‘Tomasa’s remorse for his misconduct. Petitioner 00C and
Respondent Tomasa did not stipulate to the fourth factor in
1) an absence of a dishonest or selfish motive.

 

mitigation, i.

ass
We also impose an additional requirement that Respondent Tonasa
must pay restitution to a client in the amount of $2,500.00.

The record contains clear and convincing evidence that
Respondent Tomasa failed to do the following:

+ perform several legal services that he had promised to
perform for a client;

+ communicate with the client about the status of the
legal services that Respondent Tomasa had promised to
perform;

+ provide the client with a written statement accounting
for legal services that Respondent Tomasa billed in the
amount of $2,500.01

 

+ formally withdraw as the client's attorney when
withdrawal was appropriate;

+ inform the client that Respondent Tomasa was
effectively withdrawing from the representation;

+ inform the client that the client should obtain new
counsel; and

+ return the client's file.
Respondent Tomasa thereby violated Rules 1.1, 1.2(a), 1.3,
Led(ady 1640), 162848) (3), 1.15(40 (4), 1626 (a), 1626(d), 3.2,
and 8.4(a) of Hawai'i Rules of Professional Conduct (HRPC).
Aggravating factors include the following:

+ a prior informal admonition in ODC 6682 for Respondent
‘Tonasa’s violations of HRPC Rule 8.4(a) and
HREC Rule 8.4(c);

+ Respondent Tomasa’s commission of multiple offenses;

+ the vulnerability of the victims of Respondent Tomasa’s
misconduct; and

+ Respondent Tomasa’s substantial experience in the
practice of law.
In light of Respondent Tomasa’s ethics violations, as well as the
aggravating and mitigating factors, we adopt the Disciplinary
Board's report and reconmendation to suspend Respondent Tomasa
from the practice of law for a period of one year and one day.
Therefore,

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Respondent Ryan H. Tomasa
{attorney nunber 6006) is suspended from the practice of law in
this jurisdiction for a period of one (1) year and one (1) day,
effective thirty (30) days after entry of the original March 24,
2006 order of suspension, as provided by Rule 2.16(c) of the
Rules of the Supreme Court of the State of Hawai'i (RSCH).

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, before Respondent Tomasa
may apply for reinstatement, Respondent Tonasa must, in addition
to all other requirements for reinstatement in RSCH Rule 2.17,
(1) successfully complete, at his own expense, the Practicing
Attorneys Liability Management Society’s practice managenent/Law
office audit program, (2) reimburse the Disciplinary Board for
the costs associated with these disciplinary proceedings, and
(3) pay restitution in the amount of $2,500.00 to Yukie 7.
Minagawa.

DATED: Honolulu, Hawai'i, April 7, 2006.

Michael 7. Lee, g
assistant disciplinary

counsel, for petitioner,

on the motion

Pants Creuse

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Gene €. Deaiys he