Opinion ID: 2637876
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: conclusion

Text: Vincent is an attorney duly licensed to practice law in Colorado and is currently registered to do so. Vincent is subject to the jurisdiction of this court pursuant to C.R.C.P. 251.1(b). Neither the Complaint nor the Amended Complaint in this action allege any violations of The Code of Professional Responsibility which governed attorney conduct prior to January 1, 1993. Accordingly, the hearing board only considered Vincent's conduct after January 1, 1993 in reaching its decisions on violations of The Rules of Professional Conduct. The pre-1993 conduct was taken into account as mitigation and/or aggravation in arriving at an appropriate sanction. The funds provided to Vincent by Coury were for the payment of specific costs. Thus, there can be no doubt that those funds were client funds until such time as they were either used to pay the specific costs for which they were provided, used to reimburse Vincent for expenses actually advanced or used in an alternative manner authorized by Coury. Colo. RPC 1.15(a) and (b). Vincent's assumption that the funds somehow became his since he was responsible for the costs to third parties and gave his client internal credit for the payments, is neither reasonable nor supportable under Colorado law. Colo. RPC 1.15(a) provides in relevant part: In connection with a representation, a lawyer shall hold property of clients or third persons that is in a lawyer's possession separate from the lawyer's own property. Funds shall be kept in a separate account . . . Vincent failed to maintain Coury's property separate from his own, exposed his client to potential harm by such failure, and misled Coury into believing that the funds had been used for the intended purpose. Vincent's conduct constitutes a clear violation of Colo. RPC 1.15(a). Between December 1989 and July 1993 Coury gave Vincent a total of $2,357.54 to pay third-party vendors for services they provided in connection with his suit. On several occasions Coury's check reflected the purpose of the payment. Prior to Vincent learning in 1997 that a Request for Investigation had been filed, he had paid only $1,365.24 to third-party vendors. Colo. RPC 1.15(b) requires, in part: Upon receiving funds or other property in which a client or third person has an interest, a lawyer shall, promptly or otherwise as permitted by law or by agreement with the client, deliver to the client or third person any funds or other property that the client or third person is entitled to receive . . . Although Vincent paid portions of the bills of one of the three vendors, he did not pay any portion of the other two vendors' bills for nearly four years despite having received funds from Coury for that purpose. Vincent did not fully pay the vendors' bills until after he was aware that a Request for Investigation had been filed against him. Vincent's failure to promptly pay the vendors' bills is directly related to and a consequence of his failure to comply with the mandatory provisions of Colo. RPC 1.15(a) and constitutes the additional violation of Colo. RPC 1.15(b). Vincent's conduct also is a violation of Colo. RPC 8.4(a). Vincent acknowledged by way of stipulation that his conduct violated Colo. RPC 8.4(a) (violating a rule of professional conduct) and our findings and analysis set forth above support that stipulation. The requirements of proving a charge under Colo. RPC 8.4(c) (engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation) have also been satisfied by clear and convincing evidence. Vincent deceived his client into believing that the funds paid for satisfaction of costs were used to satisfy incurred costs when, in fact, they were not. Vincent failed to fully explain the workings of the contingent fee agreement to his client, and failed to explain his handling of Coury's funds, leaving Coury with the impression that the monies had been properly applied. Vincent misappropriated the funds provided to him by Coury and deceptively concealed that fact. Moreover, Vincent misled at least one vendor by first telling them their bill had been discharged in bankruptcy, agreeing to provide supporting bankruptcy documentation, and then failing to do so. See In the Matter of Patrick Anene Egbune, 971 P.2d 1065, 1069 (Colo. 1999) (holding [w]ith one important exception [involving knowing misappropriation of property], we have considered a reckless state of mind, constituting scienter, as equivalent to knowing for disciplinary purposes citing People v. Small, 962 P.2d 258, 260 (Colo.1998)); People v. Rader, 822 P.2d 950, 953 (Colo.1992)(holding that an attorney's conduct can be so careless or reckless that it must be deemed to be knowing and will constitute a violation of a specific disciplinary rule).