Opinion ID: 2222122
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: wandel divorcecounts nine and ten

Text: ¶ 26. The OLR complaint alleged, and Sherry now stipulates, that in December 2000 he was retained by Kelly Wandel to initiate divorce proceedings and obtain a child support order. Kelly Wandel thereafter paid Sherry a $500 retainer, and in March 2001 authorized him to start the divorce action on her behalf. Sherry did so on April 10, 2001. ¶ 27. The first hearing in that divorce matter was scheduled for April 26, 2001, but then rescheduled to May 23, 2001, because Sherry had been unable to obtain service on Kelly Wandel's husband. After attempting to obtain service for those first two hearing dates, Sherry took no further action in that divorce proceeding. After May 2001 Kelly Wandel repeatedly attempted to contact Sherry to determine the status of her divorce action but he failed to respond to her phone calls. She hired a new attorney to represent her in the fall of 2001. ¶ 28. This course of conduct led to Counts Nine and Ten in the OLR complaint against Sherry to which he now stipulates.
¶ 29. By taking no action in Kelly Wandel's divorce action after preliminary service attempts had failed, Sherry failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client, in violation of SCR 20:1.3.
¶ 30. By failing to respond to Kelly Wandel's phone calls after May 2001 Sherry failed to keep a client reasonably informed about the status of a matter and promptly comply with reasonable requests for information, in violation of SCR 20:1.4(a).