Opinion ID: 1984253
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Respondent's legal, medical and personal history

Text: Respondent was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in 1975. Before the incidents that form the subject of this decision, he apparently had no legal or professional conduct problems. In 1983, however, respondent noticed that he was engaging in numerous strange behaviors. For example, he was placing and withdrawing newspaper classified ads, and signing and canceling leases for office space for no known reason. Although he had by then been married to Kathy Appler for 17 years, in November of 1983, respondent began an affair with Deborah, a former college sweetheart who lived in California. He would often make expensive trips from D.C. to California for the weekend, sometimes stepping off the plane dressed in a tuxedo, ready to take Deborah dancing. According to all accounts, this was totally out of character for respondent. In December 1983, respondent left his wife. In that same month, respondent sought psychiatric help and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is characterized by symptoms that range from acutely manic behavior on one extreme to severe depression on the other extreme. Hearing Committee Report at 21. [2] For approximately 15 months, respondent engaged in therapy and was prescribed the drug lithium. [3] Because of his expertise in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) matters, in December 1984 respondent was hired by the law firm of McDermott, Will & Emery (McDermott); he was made an income partner, i.e., one who earns a set salary rather than sharing in the profits. Respondent expected that he would eventually be made a capital partner. In February 1985, respondent divorced his wife. The following month, he discontinued his therapy against his doctor's advice. Shortly thereafter, in May 1985, respondent married Deborah. He soon stopped using the lithium, too, at least in part because of his new wife's concerns about certain of the medication's side effects. In 1986, respondent had still not been made a capital partner; that same year, he started engaging in the misconduct that underlies this case. [4]