Opinion ID: 2636101
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: ODC 8166: James L. Worley-Pali Kai Realtors

Text: On December 29, 2004, under the letterhead of Burton D. Gould, J.D., Gould wrote to Robert [James] Worley of Poly [Pali] Kai Realty. The letter indicated that Gould was acting as agent for Mr. Alan Bradbury and Ms. Geneen Summer[.] The letter complained of mold and fungus in a purchased property and said [t]hey would like to resolve this problem without the intervention of attorneys and protracted litigation. Worley wrote to ODC on January 17, 2005 with the concern that Mr. Gould, by the tenure [sic] and the J.D. portion of his letter is possibly acting as an attorney[.] During the investigation of the Worley matter, the ODC requested from attorney William McKeon, attorney for the property's homeowner's association, information regarding his dealings with Gould. In response, McKeon provided copies of various correspondence, one of which was a November 11, 2004 letter from Gould, as agent for Bradbury and Summer, to McKeon, attempting to clarify the Bradbury-Summer position with regard to the mold/fungus problem. Upon verifying that Gould was suspended, McKeon wrote to Bradbury and Summer, on November 19, 2004, requesting that any further correspondence come from Bradbury, the unit owner, not Gould. In response to the Worley complaint, Gould stated, in a letter dated February 7, 2005, that he had agreed to act as [Bradbury's and Summer's] agent and, with regard to the use of J.D., [indicated] that is one of my degrees. In a subsequent letter to ODC, dated June 11, 2007, Gouldresponding specifically to inquiries regarding his correspondence with McKeonstated that he was acting as an agent and not as an attorney and that he had stopped acting as Bradbury's agent when McKeon informed him of McKeon's concerns. As with the Bass/Shapiro complaint, ODC, on April 2, 2008, determined that Gould's use of the improper signage, `J.D.,' instead of `L.L.B.,' violated  HRPC 8.4(c) (conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation) and HRPC 8.4(a) (violating a rule of professional conduct), but that no discipline would be imposed because Worley, McKeon, and the legal system were not substantively harmed. The ODC's letter also recited that our office was instructed to issue you a letter of caution regarding your violations of HRPC 8.4(c) and HRPC 8.4(a).