Opinion ID: 1205832
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: first cause: the james matter

Text: The first cause of complaint arose out of the accused's association with a Mr. and Mrs. James. The Jameses retained the accused to probate the estate of their adopted son. Before probate could occur, the accused was required to close an existing conservatorship and transfer its funds to the probate estate. It took the accused nine months to complete this step. During that nine months, the accused failed to keep appointments with the Jameses and failed to return telephone calls from the bank handling the conservatorship. After November 1981, when the conservatorship was closed and the assets transferred to the probate estate, only the payment of inheritance, estate and final fiduciary taxes was required to close the probate estate. The accused failed to file the proper tax returns and, in early 1982, the probate estate was assessed penalties and interest. Throughout the remainder of 1982 and the first half of 1983, the accused led the Jameses to believe that he had filed the proper tax returns and was awaiting the tax releases necessary to finish closing the probate estate. In reality, the returns had not been filed and the checks written by the Jameses to pay the taxes remained in a file in the accused's office. Finally, in mid-1983, the Jameses hired a new lawyer. In answer to the Bar's complaint, the accused admitted, among other things, that only the payment of inheritance, estate and final fiduciary taxes were required to close the probate estate, that he promised his clients that he would file the tax returns immediately, that he failed to do so, that he had told the clients that the tax returns had been filed and that he had not done so. The Bar charged the accused with four violations of the Code of Professional Responsibility: DR 1-102(A)(4) provided: [2] A lawyer shall not: Engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation. DR 6-101(A)(3) provided: [3] A lawyer shall not: Neglect a legal matter entrusted to him. DR 7-101(A)(2) provided: [4] A lawyer shall not intentionally: Fail to carry out a contract of employment entered into with a client for professional services, but he may withdraw as permitted under DR 2-110, DR 5-102, and DR 5-105. DR 7-101(A)(3) provided: [5] A lawyer shall not intentionally: Prejudice or damage his client during the course of the professional relationship, except as required under DR 7-102(B). The accused admitted, and the trial panel found, that the violations had occurred.