Opinion ID: 1231745
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Drivers' License and Office Management Matters

Text: Respondent attended law school in Minnesota and graduated in 1993. Respondent moved to South Carolina in 1996, and Respondent was sworn in to the practice of law in South Carolina July 23, 1997. [2] When Respondent moved to South Carolina, he had a valid Minnesota drivers' license. Respondent did not obtain a South Carolina drivers' license after his relocation. Instead, Respondent drove using his Minnesota license until it expired. Respondent then drove without a valid license until he was arrested in 1999 for driving under the influence of alcohol and for driving without a valid license. Respondent pled guilty to these charges. Respondent's law office was a solo practice, and Respondent rented office space from a friend, Doe. Respondent allowed Doe, a non-lawyer, to manage major aspects of Respondent's law practice. Respondent gave Doe signatory authority on Respondent's operating and trust accounts, and Respondent also gave Doe supervisory authority over the office while Respondent was out of the country. According to ODC, Respondent failed to deposit client funds into his trust account and commingled his funds with client funds when he processed settlements through his operating account. Respondent also allowed Doe to handle client settlements without the supervision of an attorney and Respondent disbursed client settlement funds from his operating account in the form of checks made payable to cash. According to ODC, eleven checks drawn on Respondent's operating/trust account were returned for insufficient funds during a six month period in 2000. During that same period, ODC alleged that the balance in this account dropped below zero thirty-four times.