Opinion ID: 1921960
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Wills

Text: 21. Following the birth of her daughter in February 1987, E.Y. wanted J.C. to have a will to protect herself and her daughter. Tr. 36-37, 147-48. At the time, J.C. was their sole source of support. Tr. 112, 302. 22. Respondent agreed to prepare J.C.'s will. A short while later, J.C. asked her to do a reciprocal will for E.Y. After considering whether she should draft both wills in light of her ethical responsibilities, Respondent decided she could draft both wills because she felt her knowledge of J.C.'s unusual circumstances would make her particularly suited to draft a will to protect E.Y. and their child. Tr. 182-83, 190-93, 236-37. 23. Respondent did not advise either J.C. or E.Y. of her potential ethical problems, including a possible conflict of interest, prior to drafting the wills. Tr. 44-45; Tr. 182, 185-86, 254; BX C at 3; see Tr. 309, 311 (J.C. testified that he had no recollection of Respondent advising him of the existence of any ethical problems). 24. Respondent was aware that ethical considerations were implicated if she drafted wills for both J.C. and E.Y. because they were not lawfully married and she could not advise E.Y. of the confidential information learned from J.C. When she reviewed the ethical rules, she focused on the requirement of maintaining client confidences. She did not consult with any other attorney, even on an anonymous basis, as to what she could do prior to agreeing to draft E.Y.'s will. Tr. 181-83, 239-40, 245, 294-95. 25. When Respondent drafted E.Y.'s will, she knew that E.Y. was unaware that J.C. remained legally married to L.F-C. and that E.Y.'s marriage was invalid. Respondent also knew that E.Y. was ignorant of the fact that J.C. and L.F-C. were engaged in ongoing negotiations concerning divorce, support and property settlement issues that could have had an effect on the enforceability of any will. Tr. 249-51; see Tr. 44. 26. Respondent drafted both J.C.'s will and E.Y.'s will without disclosing to E.Y. that J.C. remained married to L.F-C., that J.C. and L.F-C. were renegotiating their financial settlement, and that L .F-C. was challenging the validity of their prior property settlement agreement. Tr. 44, 112-13; BX 3; Tr. 233, 250-54, 257. Respondent did not dispute at the hearing that the information concerning J.C.'s marital status was important information of which E.Y. should have been advised prior to preparing her will, but took the position that she was obligated not to carry that information to E.Y. Tr. 192. 27. E.Y. and J.C. elected to have reciprocal wills, leaving their respective estates to each other. Tr. 147-48. Respondent failed to advise E.Y. that Respondent had a conflict of interest in representing both J.C. and E.Y. Tr. 44-45; Tr. 182, 185-186, 254. 28. Respondent described J.C. as E.Y.'s husband in her will; Respondent knew, to the contrary, that J.C. was not in fact E.Y.'s husband. Tr. 197-198, 249-50, 296; see BX 4 at 15-21. 29. On July 23, 1987, E.Y. executed the will drafted by Respondent at the Ginsburg, Feldman law offices. Respondent and other Ginsburg, Feldman employees served as witnesses. Respondent did not disclose at that time J.C.'s true marital status or her own involvement in the recent negotiations between J.C. and L. F-C. Respondent did not disclose any possible conflict of interest or suggest to E.Y. that she consult with other counsel. Respondent caused the original of E.Y.'s executed will to be placed in the law firm's safe. BX 4 at 21; Tr. 42-47. 30. Had E.Y. been told of J.C.'s stillvalid marriage to L.F-C. in July 1987, she would not have executed the will in the terms drafted by Respondent. Tr. 93. 31. E.Y. considered Respondent to be her lawyer as well as J.C.'s lawyer when Respondent prepared their wills. Tr. 45; BX 1, BX 3, BX 4. Respondent understood that both E.Y. and J.C. relied on her as their lawyer. Tr. 246. Respondent admitted at the hearing that E.Y. was her client when she drafted her will. Tr. 255-57. 32. When Respondent drafted J.C.'s will leaving his assets to E.Y., she deliberately omitted any references to E.Y. as his wife. Respondent referenced E.Y. in J.C.'s will by her name and not by her status. Tr. 196, Tr. 303, 308. Since their wills were to be reciprocal and J.C. was named to be her executor, E.Y. believed that she would be named the executor of J.C.'s estate. Respondent, however, named herself as his executor rather than E.Y. and did not disclose that fact to E.Y. Tr.47-48; Tr. 196. Respondent argued before the Board that she named herself as executor, rather than E.Y., because in the event that J.C. died before his divorce from L.F-C. was accomplished, Respondent would be uniquely well situated to protect the interests of E.Y. and her child. Tr. 196. 33. J.C. executed his will at Respondent's law firm on July 24, 1987. Respondent caused the original of J.C.'s will to be placed in the firm's safe. BX B at 3; BX C at 3. 34. E.Y. did not see a draft or the final version of J.C.'s will until June 1995 when her will, J.C.'s will, the fraudulent marriage license application and their marriage certificate were delivered to her by the Ginsburg law firm. Tr. 30-32, 47-48, 113. E.Y. only learned at that time that her will was not the mirror image of J.C.'s in that Respondent, and not herself, had been made the executor of J.C.'s estate. Tr. 47-48, 113-14.