Opinion ID: 2343627
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Complaint of Leonard A. Washington, Sr.

Text: On or about April 5, 2003, Leonard A. Washington, Sr. (hereinafter `Mr. Washington') retained Respondent's services to secure post conviction relief to obtain a modification of his sentence. Respondent agreed to represent Mr. Washington for a retainer fee of $1,250. Respondent signed the retainer agreement on or about April 5, 2003. The retainer agreement provided that `the attorney will not enter his appearance on behalf of client in any court referred to herein until $700 of the fee has been paid.' On or about April 5, 2003, Gwendolyn Washington, on behalf of Mr. Washington, paid Respondent $700. On or about June 20, 2003, Respondent sent Mr. Washington a letter advising him of the work he had done on his behalf. However, Respondent never produced to Mr. Washington copies of the work he claimed that he had done on Mr. Washington's behalf. After receipt of the $700, Respondent did not enter his appearance in court on behalf of Mr. Washington and did not keep Mr. Washington informed about the status of the representation. Mr. Washington wrote letters to Respondent requesting information regarding the status of his matter. However, Respondent did not respond to any of Mr. Washington's letters or inquiries. Based on Respondent's failure to provide services of any value and to pursue any action advancing the client's interests, the fees accepted and retained by Respondent were unreasonable. Although Respondent stopped all work on Mr. Washington's case, he did not take steps to protect Mr. Washington's interest, such as giving reasonable notice that the representation was terminated and refunding any advance payment of the fee that had not been earned. Furthermore, Respondent failed to respond to Mr. Washington's request for a refund of the $700 retainer. During Bar Counsel's investigation of Mr. Washington's grievance complaint, Respondent failed to respond in a timely manner to written requests for information. He did not respond to letters from the Office of Bar Counsel, dated January 29, 2004 and February 13, 2004, requesting his written response to Mr. Washington's complaint.