Opinion ID: 2591097
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: facts

Text: Respondent represented clients in patent and trademark cases both in the United States and overseas. Generally, these types of cases required Respondent to arrange for counsel in other countries to ensure the protection of patents overseas. Respondent's work on these cases includes paying maintenance fees and meeting application deadlines for his institutional clients. Respondent's clients provided him funds to pay these fees and complete applications for submission on their behalf. In the summer of 2007, Respondent's partner, Michael Henson, left the firm and opened his own practice. Due to a lack of communication with Respondent, a number of clients decided to transfer their matters to Mr. Henson's firm. Correspondence was sent to Respondent indicating his clients' wishes to transfer their case to other counsel, but Respondent failed to turn over or make available these clients' files. Since approximately October 2007, Respondent's presence at his office address has been infrequent and sporadic. Respondent's office telephone and facsimile lines have been shut off, as well as his home and cellular phones. Respondent is part owner of the office building in which his law office is located. Between January 2008 and May 2008, Dr. Richard Wihera, co-owner of the office building, received Respondent's office mail because there was no one in Respondent's locked office to receive the mail. Dr. Wihera also has an office in the same building. During that time, Dr. Wihera placed Respondent's mail in Respondent's office. As of June 2008, Dr. Wihera estimated there were nine banker's boxes of unopened mail in Respondent's office. Much of this mail came from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The building that houses Respondent's office has been sold. Dr. Wihera believed that Respondent's mail and client files were in jeopardy of being discarded by the new owner. Accordingly, the District Court of Jefferson County appointed Inventory Counsel. As part of those proceedings, the People requested that the District Court order Dr. Wihera to freeze Respondent's share of the proceeds generated from the sale of their building.