Opinion ID: 1927280
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: New Jersey Bar Proceedings

Text: Between 1990 and 1993, Triffin sat several times for the New Jersey Bar Examination. He passed in July 1993. At the request of a reviewing attorney, RG 303 hearings were held on three separate dates. Triffin appeared pro se at each hearing. Twenty-five witnesses and seven affidavits of good character were presented. The businessmen testifying on Triffin's behalf were associated with companies from which Triffin had purchased collection cases or were bankers. Most became acquainted with him in the early 1980s. In some cases their relationship with Triffin was ongoing; in others, it had terminated in the ten years prior to the RG 303 Hearing. They all testified that he was honest, truthful, and reliable. Some mentioned that if Triffin were admitted to the bar they would hire him. Thirteen attorneys testified before the RG 303 Panel. The majority testified that Triffin was honest, truthful, trustworthy, reliable, and professional in his dealings with them. They also stated that Triffin was always clear that he represented himself pro se and was not a member of the bar. Some of the attorneys, however, raised questions about Triffin's character. Although agreeing on further questioning that Triffin never claimed to be an attorney and represented himself pro se, Robert R. Kasmar, a member of the New Jersey Bar, initially stated that Triffin was an attorney at law, licensed in the State of New Jersey. Kasmar was under the impression that the hearing concerned an ethical complaint. He testified that Triffin was trustworthy, reliable, and committed to the judicial process. Hal B. Eisenstein, a member of both the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Bars, had met Triffin just once and had spoken to him by phone a couple of times. When asked his opinion of Triffin's truthfulness, Eisenstein stated: That's a little bit touchy, because in the transmittal I got with the subpoenas I received to come here today, it was indicated that I had agreed to be here, and I never even discussed it. Eisenstein further testified that based on the bankruptcy matter in which they were both involved, [his] opinion of [Triffin's] procedural manner there is relatively high, because he was doing the best in his interest at the time, he didn't break any rules or do had [sic] anything unethical at that time. Geoffrey B. Gompers, an attorney licensed in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, claimed that he personally witnessed Triffin represent himself as an attorney at a meeting of the Check Cashing Association of Pennsylvania during the summer of 1992. He also provided hearsay testimony that his clients, the DiSalvos, had been told by Triffin that he was an attorney. Gompers testified that in dealing with Triffin on the DiSalvo matter, Triffin failed to provide timely notice of depositions, and had stated that because he was not an attorney he did not need to play by rules that attorneys follow. During the course of Gompers's testimony, Triffin stated: I have no further questions for this creature. (emphasis added). John R. Poeta, a member of the New Jersey Bar, testified that he had contact with Triffin while representing banks on two separate occasions on matters involving bad checks. He gave a qualified yes in response to a question concerning Triffin's honesty, because he felt that Triffin had reneged on a settlement after being given access to Poeta's client. Finally, Laura Proske O'Hara, a member of the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Bars who works for Chemical Bank, testified that Triffin had threatened that he would buy up every piece of Chemical Bank paper on the street, and he would sue us forever if she did not induce the bank to sell him bad paper. On one particular matter, he suggested that because [she] had been nice to him, he would waive the interest if [she] would agree to appear ... [at the RG 303 Hearing] on his behalf.