Opinion ID: 1748199
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Violation of SCR 20:1.16(d)

Text: ¶57 Attorney Phillips does not dispute the facts as found by the referee regarding the timing of his return of R.M.'s files. Indeed, in the conclusion to his appeal brief, he now admits that he violated SCR 20:1.16(d) by failing to return R.M.'s files for the two months after R.M.'s second written request in October 2003. ¶58 Attorney Phillips' argument on this point seems addressed solely to the severity of discipline. Attorney Phillips argues that already during the malpractice lawsuit in 2000, Attorney Phillips told R.M.'s counsel that they could pick up all of R.M.'s files. R.M. waited three years until 2003 to request his files. Attorney Phillips points to his letter of August 19, 2003, in which he promised to return all of R.M.'s files within the next few weeks and told R.M. to contact him if that was not acceptable. Attorney Phillips emphasizes that these were all closed files and that R.M. did not respond for two months. By the time R.M. responded, Attorney Phillips claimed that he needed the files to review in response to the OLR's investigation. Attorney Phillips points out that when the OLR told him that his retention of the files violated SCR 20:1.16(d), he returned the files to R.M. the very next day. Thus, Attorney Phillips argues that his violation was not substantial and that R.M. was not harmed by the delay in any way. ¶59 The record again supports the referee's factual findings. R.M. requested the files in August 2003. Although Attorney Phillips promised to return the files within a few weeks, it does not appear that he took any action to do so until R.M. made another demand. There does not appear to be any reason to upset the referee's findings or conclusion on this count.