Opinion ID: 2636101
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: ODC 8165: Tina Bass & Barry Shapiro

Text: According to the hearing committee's findings of fact (FOF) 12, Tina Bass and Barry Shapiro, tenants evicted from Gould's wife's Maui property, complained that Gould was using the designation J.D. (or Juris Doctor) after his name on his office door. In a letter dated February 21, 2005, Gould explained that he had two law degreesa Bachelor of Science in Law (or B.S.L.) and a Bachelor of Laws (or L.L.B.). He indicated he had contacted Northwestern University School of Law and learned that Northwestern did not convert their L.L.B.s to J.D.s and promised to change all signage . . . to Burton D. Gould B.S.L., L.L.B. In a letter to Gould, dated March 28, 2008, the ODC advised Gould that it had determined that Gould's improper use of the signage, `J.D.,' instead of `L.L.B.,' violated  HRPC 8.4(c) (conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation) and HRPC 8.4(a) (violating a rule of professional conduct), but that no discipline would be imposed because neither Bass and Shapiro nor the legal system were substantively harmed and because Gould stopped using the `J.D.' signage. (Emphasis added.)