Opinion ID: 3210070
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: analysis

Text: ¶6 The record reflects the Petitioner has never been disciplined by the OBA or the California Bar; the only two states in which she was licensed to practice law. Petitioner was in the process of resigning from the OBA at the time she received the 1983 order of suspension for failure to pay dues. She finalized her resignation immediately after receiving that order. Her reason for resigning was she no longer practiced law in Oklahoma due to her living and practicing law in California. Ten letters were admitted as evidence which strongly supported a finding Petitioner possessed good moral character. These letters were written by past and current employers, religious leaders, lawyers and a retired Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals Judge. Testimony at the hearing also supported Petitioner's good moral character. No contrary evidence was presented. The PRT found Petitioner had shown by clear and convincing evidence she possessed the good moral character to be readmitted to the OBA. After an examination of the record, we agree with this finding.
¶7 After moving to California in 1981, Petitioner worked as an associate in several law firms over a eighteen-year period. Her areas of practice in those firms were primarily in real estate, business transactions, tax planning, and estate planning. A majority of her career was with the Law Offices of Bernard J. Schoenberg in San Francisco, California, where she worked through 1999. After 2000 she did not practice law. In 2002 she voluntarily transferred her California Bar license to the inactive status as of January 1, 2001. Her career then continued in politics and business. From 1997 through 2001 and from 2003 through 2007, she served on the Town Council of Corte Madera, California, as an elected councilmember. She also served two one-year terms as its mayor. ¶8 In 2001, Petitioner was hired in a non-legal position with an urban land use planning firm: The Marchese Company in San Francisco, California. She worked for this company until the end of 2013; right before her return to Oklahoma (April 2014). During Petitioner's twelve years of employment with The Marchese Company, her duties included work on a large hospital project in San Francisco which included the drafting of an institutional master plan the hospital was required to file with the city and county, as well as many aspects of environmental compliance and public outreach. She also drafted and managed contracts with consultants under the supervision of attorneys. Ralph Marchese, the company's president, wrote that he relied on Petitioner's professional capabilities in his company's work on one of California's largest hospital systems. 3 He stated Petitioner was tasked to either assist him or directly manage legal teams as well as other professionals in the production of major reports, applications for governmental entitlements, policy recommendations to his clients' senior management, financial analyses and related information vital to large scale projects. Petitioner also testified that while working for The Marchese Company she continued to take California Bar sponsored continuing legal education courses in the areas of land use and environmental law. ¶9 Two letters written by the Town Manager and Assistant Town Manager of Corte Madera, California, were admitted into evidence supporting Petitioner's competency based upon her work as a Town Council Member and Mayor of the town. 4 The letters reflect the many legal issues during Petitioner's tenure and how she had worked closely with the Town Attorney. She helped solve complex issues related to finance, flood control and fire protection. She was also commended for championing policies to protect the rights of minority persons and women, the promotion of housing opportunities for lower income people, and inclusiveness and equal opportunity in the face of strident opposition. ¶10 Petitioner also engaged in significant community work in California. Petitioner was an Elder on Session and Chair of the Facilities Use Committee of her local church. Part of her duties included helping the church with complicated negotiations and leases for the church's renters. The pastor of her church wrote the church would not be the community resource for small private schools that it is today without Petitioner's help. 5 He also expressed her competency in handling complicated tax forms for the church and praised her stalwart defense of providing meeting space to the children of AA groups. ¶11 In April 2014, Petitioner returned to Norman, Oklahoma, where she continues to reside. In August 2014, Petitioner took a part-time job with the law firm Petersen, Henson, Meadows, Pecore & Peot, P.C., Norman, Oklahoma, and currently works there. Her work consists mainly of clerical and administrative tasks. Petitioner's supervisor wrote a letter supporting her reinstatement and stated her knowledge of the law allows her to understand the firm's work processes and quickly understand tasks assigned to her. 6 She also notes Petitioner watches online continuing legal education courses during lunch hours. ¶12 In late 2014, Petitioner reconnected with Bob Bright who was a partner in the law firm which had employed her in 1979. Bright hired Petitioner for part-time contract work to help him with legal research concerning a complicated personal trust matter. Susan P. Moran, attorney and long-time friend of the Petitioner, was consulted on this matter as well. Moran, who also received an LL.M in taxation from the New York University School of Law, works in the same office building as Bright and one of her areas of expertise is estate planning. Both Bright and Moran wrote letters supporting Petitioner's reinstatement emphasizing her competency in the law. Moran wrote that Petitioner is currently assisting her in her law practice with several estate planning projects. Moran notes that Petitioner correctly analyzes all of the family and property situations of the clients and the two work together, under Moran's supervision, to determine how to best meet the clients' goals. Moran testified that she and Petitioner plan to practice law together once she is reinstated. ¶13 In addition to her work with attorneys and law firms, Petitioner has been involved in the Norman community. Upon her return to Norman, Petitioner met at her church and befriended Charles Johnson, retired Judge of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals and his wife Jan Johnson, also an attorney. Both wrote letters supporting Petitioner's reinstatement. Jan Johnson testified that Petitioner serves with her on the Personnel Committee of their church. This committee deals with hiring, firing and filling of vacant positions at the church. Petitioner was also recently elected as an Elder which is a church governing position. Her responsibilities have included handling very divisive issues, such as, the sanctifying of same sex marriages and pastor evaluations. Jan Johnson also testified she had recently given Petitioner a library of legal resources including treatises, law manuals and practice forms to help her in her future practice. ¶14 The record reflects that since 2015 Petitioner has taken twenty-four hours of continuing legal education which includes two hours of ethics. Petitioner also testified that she has kept abreast of the law by reading Bar Journals and Supreme Court opinions. ¶15 In a recent opinion, this Court held an attorney did not meet his burden of proving he had the required competency in the law for reinstatement without taking the Oklahoma Bar Examination. In the Matter of the Reinstatement of Bodnar , 2016 OK 12, __P.3d___, 2016 WL 513756. Bodnar resigned from the OBA in 1999 and thereafter practiced law in Texas. Bodnar, 2016 OK 12 at ¶3. In 2003, he resigned from the Texas Bar in lieu of discipline. Id. at ¶11. Thereafter, he worked as a title examiner until 2007, then retired and moved to Oklahoma obtaining an Oklahoma certification to teach social studies. Id. at ¶ 6 . He applied for reinstatement to the OBA on November 21, 2014. We noted Bodnar had not been licensed to practice law for the last thirteen years and during this time his attempts to maintain competency and learning in the law included the teaching of U.S. History and Government in the summer of 2008 at Jenks High School, subscribing and reading the Oklahoma Bar Journal for three months prior to his reinstatement hearing and the taking of one continuing legal education course. Id. at ¶8. We found his attempts to keep abreast of the law were feeble when compared to practicing attorneys who are required to take twelve hours of continuing legal education including one hour of ethics, every year. Bodnar, 2016 OK 12 at ¶19. ¶16 In Bodnar , this Court relied on several earlier opinions: In re Reinstatement of Turner, 1999 OK 72, 990 P.2d 861, In re Reinstatement of Hardin , 1996 OK 115, 927 P.2d 545, and In re Reinstatement of Farrant , 2004 OK 77, 104 P.3d 567. Bodnar, 2016 OK 12 at ¶¶20-23. In In re Reinstatement of Turner , Turner had a long history of being suspended from membership in the OBA for failure to pay dues and/or completing continuing legal education courses. 1999 OK 72, ¶2, 990 P.2d 861. He was eventually removed from the roll of attorneys on July 19, 1994. Turner, 1999 OK 72 at ¶2. In January 1998, he applied for reinstatement. Id. The record reflected Turner had received twenty-four credit hours of mandatory continuing legal education courses; the last of which was a little over two years prior to applying for reinstatement. Id. at ¶10. The record also reflected he had been reading the Oklahoma Bar Journal and other legal publications since his suspension. Id. We held Turner had failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that he now possesses the requisite legal skills for reinstatement. Id. at ¶20. Also, for purposes of determining his competency and learning in the law, we would not consider his experience obtained after suspension based upon his blatant unauthorized practice of law. Id. ¶17 In In re Reinstatement of Hardin , Hardin resigned from the OBA in May 1990 pending disciplinary proceedings. 1996 OK 115, ¶1, 967 P.2d 545. He applied for reinstatement in September 1995. The Professional Responsibility Tribunal recommended against reinstatement based upon two factors: his failure to file tax returns for several years and his present competence in legal skills. Hardin 1996 OK 115 at ¶¶6 - 7. The only evidence to support his present competency in the law was that in the year prior to applying for reinstatement he had taken eighteen hours of mandatory continuing legal education courses and read the Oklahoma Bar Journal. Id. at ¶6. Hardin was denied reinstatement. Id. at ¶15. ¶18 In In re Reinstatement of Farrant , Farrant was suspended from practicing law for one year in 1994. 2004 OK 77, ¶ 1, 104 P.3d 567. He filed for reinstatement ten years later in 2004. Farrant , 2004 OK 77, ¶4. Following his suspension, he worked at a variety of different jobs including substitute teaching, limousine driving, selling insurance, selling mobile homes and managing a mobile home dealership. Id. at ¶3. In 2001, Farrant began thinking about the possibility of reinstatement. Id. He completed twelve hours of mandatory continuing legal education courses in 2003, and a few other continuing legal education courses in 2004, had worked on abstracts and was involved in mediation. Id. at ¶11. We held Farrant had failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that he possessed the competency and learning in the law required for reinstatement. Id. at ¶18. ¶19 After analyzing these three cases in Bodnar , we concluded: If twelve to twenty-four hours of continuing legal education courses in Turner, Hardin, and Farrant, were insufficient to show competency and learning in the law by clear-and-convincing evidence, and, if practicing attorneys must complete twelve hours a year, taking one class and reading the Oklahoma Bar Journal for three months is certainly insufficient to meet the burden for showing the competency and learning in the law necessary for reinstatement without taking the Oklahoma Bar Examination. In the Matter of the Reinstatement of Bodnar, 2016 OK 12, ¶23, __P.3d___, 2016 WL 513756. We find the present case is distinguishable from these cases. Petitioner practiced law in California for almost eighteen years after resigning from the OBA. She took twenty-four hours of continuing legal education courses in Oklahoma in 2015 and has been reading the Oklahoma Bar Journal. In addition she took continuing legal education courses in California after she placed her bar license on inactive status. These courses were in land use and environmental law; topics relevant to the work she was performing for The Marchese Company. The record reflects during her twelve years with The Marchese Company she drafted and managed contracts, assisted with managing the company's legal teams, and performed work concerning environmental compliance of her tasked projects. Soon after she returned to Oklahoma she performed supervised legal research work for Bright and continues to perform supervised legal work for Moran as well as working for a law firm in an administrative capacity. Her advanced education in taxation is relevant to the work she performed for Bright and Moran and both testified positively about her present competency in this area. ¶20 In In the Matter of the Reinstatement of Jones , we gave great weight to the supervised legal work Jones performed since her resignation from the OBA. 2006 OK 33, 142 P.3d 380. Jones resigned her membership in the OBA pending disciplinary proceedings in 1997 and petitioned for reinstatement in 2004. Jones , 2006 OK 33 at ¶¶1 and 6. The record demonstrated Jones earned a living after reinstatement by performing various non-legal jobs. Id. at ¶11. In the year prior to petitioning for reinstatement we noted Jones had received hands-on supervised legal experience while volunteering as a law clerk. Id. at ¶¶11 - 12. In addition, we determined Jones had completed several hours of continuing legal education courses and regularly read the Oklahoma Bar Journal. Id. at ¶12. We held Jones had shown that her competence and learning in the law qualified her for readmission without retaking the Oklahoma Bar Examination. Id. ¶21 In another opinion, Matter of Reinstatement of Essman , we attributed great weight to the work experience of a suspended attorney. 1987 OK 102, 749 P.2d 103. Essman had been suspended from the practice of law in Oklahoma for failure to pay dues and petitioned for reinstatement over five years later. Essman , 1987 OK 102 at ¶1. In determining his competency to practice law, this Court reviewed his work history. Since his suspension Essman had been continuously employed as a landman. Id. at ¶4. We determined his employment required a thorough knowledge of matters affecting title to real property and part of his duties included preparation of legal instruments in the negotiations and purchasing of oil and gas leases. Id. We found this evidence was sufficient to establish a continuing competency in a significant area of the practice of law. Id. at ¶5. We also found that the continuing legal education courses he had completed added support to this finding. Id. Essman was granted reinstatement without the need for retaking the Oklahoma Bar Examination. Id. at ¶6. ¶22 Since resigning from membership in the OBA, Petitioner's work experience consisted of the licensed practice of law in California, supervised legal work and employment in areas that required an understanding of the law. In addition, her advanced education and understanding of the law was pertinent to her extensive political and community service. This combined experience along with the completion of continuing legal education courses and the reading of the Oklahoma Bar Journal supports Petitioner's assertion she has maintained her competency and learning in the law. The PRT found Petitioner has kept abreast of current legal developments and possessed the competency and learning in the law required for reinstatement. The PRT did not find Petitioner should be required to re-take the Oklahoma Bar Examination. We agree with the PRT and find the Petitioner has proven by clear and convincing evidence she possesses the level of competency and learning in the law to be reinstated to membership in the OBA without re-examination.
¶23 The OBA investigator testified she had found no evidence in her investigation to show Petitioner had engaged in the unauthorized practice of law. The investigator checked various databases, reviewed tax information and solicited information. Petitioner worked for The Marchese Company after she placed her California Bar license on inactive status. The investigator said she received a letter from Mr. Marchese who claimed he had once asked Petitioner for legal advice but she refused due to her license being in the inactive status. No other evidence obtained from the investigation indicated Petitioner had engaged in the unauthorized practice of law. Testimony from Bright and Moran also indicated Petitioner's work for them had been under their supervision and that she was not engaging in the unauthorized practice of law. ¶24 Rule 11.1, RGDP provides a mechanism for determining whether a petitioner has engaged in the unauthorized practice of law. In paragraph (a) of the rule it requires the petitioner to submit an affidavit, attached to the petition for reinstatement, from each court clerk of the several counties in which he or she resided after suspension or termination of the right to practice law, establishing the petitioner has not practiced law in their respective courts during that period. Petitioner has provided applicable affidavits from the court clerks where she resided in both Oklahoma and California. We find the Petitioner has proven by clear and convincing evidence that she has not engaged in the unauthorized practice of law as required by Rule 11.1, RGDP. APPLICATION TO ASSESS COSTS ¶25 The Oklahoma Bar Association filed an Application to Assess Costs, pursuant to Rule 11.1 (c), RGDP. The application requests the Petitioner pay two hundred fifty-three dollars and five cents ($253.05) for the costs related to the expenses of this investigation and processing the application. The record reflects Petitioner has already paid past bar dues owed for 1983 and late charges as well as the cost of the transcript of the PRT hearing. The record also reflects that no Client's Security Fund funds were expended on Petitioner's behalf.