Opinion ID: 1234837
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the anatomy of the proceedings

Text: Arnold Fagin [Fagin], an Oklahoma City lawyer, represented Sanger in March 1991 in a postdecree custody dispute. [5] Sanger (a) paid Fagin a $2,000 non-refundable retainer, (b) signed a fee agreement and (c) incurred  in the pretrial stage  additional attorney's fees of $1,535.00. Sanger became unhappy with Fagin's representation (and with the amount it was costing) and settled the case himself. His wife not only retained custody of their child, but Sanger's access by visitation was curtailed. Sanger also (a) gave up an expensive leather chair, (b) assumed the responsibility of a disproportionate share of travel for visitation and of expenses connected with transporting the child and (c) agreed to pay more child support. On February 3, 1992 Sanger filed with the Bar a grievance against Fagin, included in which were allegations that (a) Fagin had agreed to seek for him temporary custody of his son, (b) Fagin instead sought not only temporary but also permanent custody and, when asked to withdraw the latter quest, he refused to do so and (c) the fee agreement, signed under duress, is void for failure of consideration. Sanger indicated on the grievance form that a similar complaint was pending in district court. [6] Gloria Miller White [White], Asst. General Counsel [7] for the Bar, notified Sanger that his grievance did not warrant investigation since it appeared to be no more than a fee dispute. [8] Later, after a telephone conversation with White, Sanger filed an amended grievance to which he attached what he represented to be copies of handwritten notes, made contemporaneously with the occurrences they described. He stated that the notes had been mailed to Fagin on several occasions and they were returned to [him] at his request after the case was concluded. [9] The Bar forwarded a copy of the amended grievance to Fagin for a response. Fagin, who had retained a copy of notes Sanger had given him during the custody proceeding, denied all of Sanger's allegations. He also (a) pointed out discrepancies in the two sets of notes, (b) suggested that Sanger had altered the writings to bolster his grievance and (c) urged the Bar to report Sanger to the Board. Months passed. After Sanger had taken the bar examination, White and an investigator for the General Counsel's office confronted Sanger with two different versions of one page of the notes (3(b) and 3(f)), but the matter was not then resolved. The General Counsel advised Sanger to retain counsel, which he did. After Sanger had given the Bar a written explanation for the discrepancies in the two versions, the General Counsel's office continued its investigation and then turned its product over to the Board. The Board took Sanger's deposition. [10] Sanger was notified on February 16, 1993 that his application for admission to the Bar had been denied. Following a Rule 11 hearing the Board concluded that the applicant does not meet the Rule 1 requirements for ethical fitness to practice law. This proceeding for de novo review followed.