Opinion ID: 2523793
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: COUNT 1 Punam Amin

Text: ¶ 3 In or about January of 2006, Punam Amin retained the respondent to obtain a labor certificate from the Department of Labor so she could continue to work in the United States. She paid the respondent $2,620.00 for this service. The respondent represented to Ms. Amin that she had submitted the appropriate paperwork to obtain the certificate and that her employer should be receiving a confirmation from the Department of Labor. Ms. Amin was subsequently unable to determine her status because the respondent failed to return her telephone calls and did not otherwise advise Ms. Amin of her status. Ms. Amin hired another attorney to perform this work and the new attorney found no proof that the respondent had ever submitted anything to the Department of Labor. The respondent failed to perform the work for which she had been hired. ¶ 4 On November 17, 2007, the Office of the General Counsel of the Bar Association received a grievance from Ms. Amin that the respondent had failed to represent her competently in the immigration case, refused to communicate with her, and failed to return her file. The respondent did not answer the General Counsel's office when it requested a response to the grievance, even after the office sent notice allowing another five days for a response before a formal investigation would begin. ¶ 5 After a formal investigation began on February 13, 2008, the Bar Association gave the respondent another twenty days to respond to the allegations in DC 08-19, but again she failed to respond. On April 25, 2008, the General Counsel's office again requested a response, but again received none. On August 18, 2008, the General Counsel's office sent an additional letter to notify the respondent that the office had not received a response. The General Counsel's office received an electronic confirmation that the certified letter was received on August 26, 2008, but the respondent did not answer. ¶ 6 The Bar Association served a Subpoena Duces Tecum on the respondent and she appeared for a deposition on September 19, 2008. The complainant and the respondent agreed that she would be allowed until October 21, 2008, to respond to this grievance, and again the respondent did not respond. ¶ 7 The respondent's acts of misconduct in Count 1 constitute professional misconduct in violation of Rules 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 8.1(b), 8.4(c) and 8.4(d), of the Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct (ORPC), 5 O.S.2001, as modified by 5 O.S.Supp.2008, ch. 1, app. 3-A, and Rules 1.3 and 5.2, RGDP, 5 O.S.2001, ch. 1, app. 1-A.