Opinion ID: 1776497
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Mississippi Bar Proceedings

Text: The Mississippi Bar asked for reciprocal discipline against Berney Strauss in this state on the basis of his suspension by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana for forum shopping and resulting suspension. Although other sanctions have been imposed on Strauss, the Mississippi State Bar pleadings addresses only the three years suspension of the federal district court in Louisiana. In his Answer and Affirmative Defenses filed on February 7, 1991, with this Court, Strauss challenged, among other things, the assertion the complaint was filed pursuant to Rule 6, and affirmatively asserted that Rule 6 in no way applied to the facts of this complaint. He further asserted he should not be disciplined under Rule 13 and argued that because the forum shopping behavior, in which he admitted participating in the federal court in Louisiana, was not a violation of either the rules of the Mississippi Bar or federal courts in Mississippi, it would not be proper for this Court to impose discipline for conduct which would be legal in this state, nor taxed with the costs. In October 1991, this Court rendered its original opinion on the complaint of the Mississippi Bar and also appointed a Tribunal under Rule 13 to recommend to this Court a sanction. On October 29, 1991, the Mississippi Bar Counsel filed a Petition for Rehearing suggesting that this case is a Rule 6 case in which this Court may set the sanction without the necessity of the convening of a Tribunal. While the Petition for Rehearing was pending here, the Tribunal appointed by this Court set its hearing date, and noticed Strauss and his counsel. Without detailing all of the procedural stages, it is sufficient to state that the Complaint Tribunal heard the proof offered from the Bar and defense counsel, and recommended a three year suspension of Strauss from the practice of law in Mississippi. Strauss did not appear before the Tribunal, but has asked for a rehearing. That record of the proceedings in the Tribunal has been forwarded to the Court.