Opinion ID: 1824315
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: bichler litigation

Text: Kathy Bichler hired Rau to represent her regarding a workers compensation claim. The Workers Compensation Bureau initially made a favorable determination for Bichler but later reversed its findings. Rau received $100 from Bichler to file an appeal to the district court and later received another $100 to file an appeal to this court. The Board found Rau failed to file a timely appeal in the district court and that he misled Bichler about the importance of the district court proceedings and about his representation on her behalf. The Board found Rau's conduct in representing Bichler constituted a failure to represent a client diligently, failure to appropriately communicate, failure to safeguard his client's property, and that his conduct in representing her involved dishonesty, deceit, and misrepresentation, all in violation of Rules 1.3, 1.4(a), and 1.5(a), N.D.R.Prof.Cond., and Rule 1.2 A(3), NDPRLDD. Rau did not respond to or refute the allegations involving his misconduct in representing Bichler. We conclude the record contains clear and convincing evidence to support the Disciplinary Board's conclusions that Rau committed numerous acts of professional misconduct. The record supports the allegations that Rau knowingly lied to his clients and neglected to diligently and appropriately represent them as he was hired to do. The record also contains clear and convincing evidence that in representing Walsh, Rau either knowingly, or through gross negligence, converted Walsh's funds to his own use and then misrepresented to Walsh and others what had happened.