Title: Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Jennifer L. Abbott

State: wisconsin

Issuer: Wisconsin Supreme Court

Document:

2005 WI 172 
 
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN 
 
 
 
 
 
CASE NO.: 
2005AP185-D 
 
 
COMPLETE TITLE: 
 
 
In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings 
Against Jennifer L. Abbott, Attorney at Law: 
 
 
Office of Lawyer Regulation, 
          Complainant, 
     v. 
Jennifer L. Abbott, 
          Respondent. 
 
 
 
 
DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS AGAINST ABBOTT 
 
 
OPINION FILED: 
December 28, 2005   
SUBMITTED ON BRIEFS: 
        
ORAL ARGUMENT: 
        
 
 
SOURCE OF APPEAL: 
 
 
COURT: 
        
 
COUNTY: 
        
 
JUDGE: 
        
 
 
 
JUSTICES: 
 
 
CONCURRED: 
        
 
DISSENTED: 
        
 
NOT PARTICIPATING:         
 
 
 
ATTORNEYS: 
 
      
 
 
2005 WI 172
 
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTICE 
This order is subject to further 
editing and modification.  The 
final version will appear in the 
bound volume of the official 
reports.   
 
 
 
No.  2005AP185-D  
 
 
In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings 
Against Jennifer L. Abbott, Attorney at Law: 
 
 
Office of Lawyer Regulation, 
 
          Complainant, 
 
     v. 
 
Jennifer L. Abbott, 
 
          Respondent. 
 
 
 
FILED 
 
DEC 28, 2005 
 
Cornelia G. Clark 
Clerk of Supreme Court 
Madison, WI 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Court entered the following order on this date: 
 
Attorney Jennifer L. Abbott has filed a petition for 
consensual license revocation under SCR 22.19.  Attorney Abbott 
was licensed to practice law in Wisconsin in 1993.  Her license 
is currently under suspension for willful failure to respond to 
or cooperate with Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) grievance 
investigations. 
 
Attorney 
Abbott 
is 
the 
subject 
of 
OLR 
grievance 
investigations involving some twenty allegations of misconduct 
in connection with numerous client matters.  The alleged 
misconduct includes reports of overdrafts on Attorney Abbott's 
trust account, including ten such overdrafts between July and 
December 2004 ranging in amounts from $34 to $239; Attorney 
Abbott's 
representation 
of 
clients 
in 
several 
bankruptcy 
No.  2005AP185-D 
 
2 
matters; Attorney Abbott's handling of an operating while 
intoxicated charge in which the client alleged that Attorney 
Abbott failed to preserve evidence and that she also failed to 
arrange for testimony of a key witness at his sentencing hearing 
in May 2002; allegations of conversion of client funds; 
allegations of failing to provide a client with copies of 
documents; allegations of failing to return records or files in 
violation of court orders; allegations of failing to return 
unearned retainers or fees; and failing to cooperate with the 
OLR.  According to the OLR, Attorney Abbott's conduct has 
violated SCR 20:1.3,1 SCR 20:1.4(a),2 former SCR 20:1.15(a),3 
former SCR 20:1.15(n),4 SCR 20:1.16(d),5 SCR 20:3.4(c),6 SCR 
20:8.4(c),7 SCR 20:8.4(f)8 and SCR 22.03(6).9   
                                                 
1 SCR 20:1.3 provides that "[a] lawyer shall act with 
reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client." 
2 SCR 20:1.4(a) provides that "[a] lawyer shall keep a 
client reasonably informed about the status of a matter and 
promptly comply with reasonable requests for information." 
3 Former SCR 20:1.5 applies to misconduct committed prior to 
July 1, 2004.  Former SCR 20:1.15(a) provides:  Safekeeping 
property. 
(a) A lawyer shall hold in trust, separate from 
the lawyer's own property, that property of clients 
and third persons that is in the lawyer's possession 
in connection with a representation or when acting in 
a fiduciary capacity.  Funds held in connection with a 
representation or in a fiduciary capacity include 
funds held as trustee, agent, guardian, personal 
representative of an estate, or otherwise.  All funds 
of clients and third persons paid to a lawyer or law 
firm shall be deposited in one or more identifiable 
trust accounts . . . ." 
4 Former SCR 20:1.15(n) provides that "[e]very lawyer 
practicing or admitted to practice in this state shall comply 
with the reporting and production requirements of this rule." 
5 SCR 
20:1.16(d) 
provides: 
 
Declining 
or 
terminating 
representation. 
(d) Upon termination of representation, a lawyer 
shall take steps to the extent reasonably practicable 
to protect a client's interests, such as giving 
reasonable notice to the client, allowing time for 
No.  2005AP185-D 
 
3 
Attorney Abbott admits under SCR 22.19(2) that she cannot 
successfully defend against the allegations of the grievance 
investigations.  The OLR supports Attorney Abbott's petition for 
consensual license revocation.  The matter was submitted to a 
referee who recommends the petition for consensual license 
revocation be granted and further recommends the court impose 
the costs of the disciplinary proceeding on Attorney Abbott 
because the OLR did incur the costs of filing a complaint before 
the petition for consensual license revocation was filed.  
Currently, the costs in this matter total $2201.42. 
 
After this petition was submitted to the court, an order 
was issued directing the parties to show cause why restitution 
should not also be ordered.  The OLR filed a timely response 
agreeing that restitution was appropriate in certain client 
matters.  Specifically, the OLR reports that Attorney Abbott 
failed to refund a $425 retainer fee in the bankruptcy matter 
involving C.C. and noted that it appears no work was done on 
this file.  Accordingly, the OLR recommended the court award 
restitution to C.C. in the amount of $425.  Similarly, in the 
                                                                                                                                                             
employment of other counsel, surrendering papers and 
property to which the client is entitled and refunding 
any advance payment of fee that has not been earned.  
The lawyer may retain papers relating to the client to 
the extent permitted by other law. 
6 SCR 20:3.4(c) provides that a lawyer shall not "knowingly 
disobey an obligation under the rules of a tribunal except for 
an open refusal based on an assertion that no valid obligation 
exists." 
7 SCR 20:8.4(c) provides that it is professional misconduct 
for a lawyer to "engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, 
deceit or misrepresentation." 
8 SCR 20:8.4(f) provides that it is professional misconduct 
for a lawyer to "violate a statute, supreme court rule, supreme 
court order or supreme court decision regulating the conduct of 
lawyers." 
9 SCR 22.03(6) provides that "[i]n the course of the 
investigation, 
the 
respondent's wilful 
failure 
to provide 
relevant information, to answer questions fully, or to furnish 
documents and the respondent's misrepresentation in a disclosure 
are misconduct, regardless of the merits of the matters asserted 
in the grievance." 
No.  2005AP185-D 
 
4 
R.B. and O.L.W. bankruptcy matter, the OLR observes that 
Attorney Abbott should be required to reimburse these clients 
for the amount Attorney Abbott "was paid."  The OLR explains, 
however, that the amount of fees actually paid is unclear 
because the receipt Attorney Abbott gave her clients is 
"indecipherable."  The OLR estimates the clients paid $500 and 
recommended restitution in this amount.  In the I.M. bankruptcy 
matter, Attorney Abbott was paid $450.  The OLR concedes that it 
is unknown exactly how much work, if any, Attorney Abbott 
performed on this matter, but it was undisputed that she did not 
ever file the bankruptcy action.  
 
Attorney Abbott did not respond to this court's order or to 
the OLR's report regarding restitution.  Having reviewed the 
record in this matter we agree with the OLR's recommendations 
regarding restitution in this matter.  See In re Disciplinary 
Proceedings Against Martinez, 225 Wis. 2d 433, 591 N.W.2d 866 
(1999); In re Disciplinary Proceedings Against Karlsson, 2001 WI 
126, 248 Wis. 2d 681, 635 N.W.2d 771.   
 
Therefore, 
 
IT IS ORDERED that the petition for consensual license 
revocation is granted. 
 
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the license of Jennifer Abbott 
to practice law in Wisconsin is revoked effective the date of 
this order. 
 
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that within 60 days of the date of 
this order Jennifer Abbott shall pay full restitution to C.C. in 
the amount of $425, to R.B. and O.L.W. in the amount of $500, 
and to I.M. in the amount of $450.   
 
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that within 60 days of the date of 
this order, Jennifer Abbott pay to the Office of Lawyer 
Regulation the costs of this disciplinary proceeding. 
 
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Jennifer Abbott comply with the 
requirements of SCR 22.26 concerning the duties of a person 
whose license to practice law in Wisconsin has been revoked. 
 
 
No.  2005AP185-D 
 
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