Opinion ID: 1462263
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Ms. Benjamin's Criminal Cases.

Text: Ms. Benjamin had a number of criminal cases pending against her at roughly the same time. The procedural history of the relevant cases are summarized in detail in the report and recommendation of the Hearing Committee, and we do repeat that history here. By way of brief summary, Ms. Benjamin had two criminal cases pending against her in the Superior Court at the same time. The first, which the Hearing Committee labeled the underwear case, was based on a charge of attempted larceny of assorted underclothing from Hecht's department store. Respondent was appointed to represent Ms. Benjamin in the underwear case. The second case, which the Hearing Committee labeled the crabmeat case, was also a charge of attempted larceny. Ms. Benjamin was represented by other counsel, particularly Mr. Bright, in the crabmeat case. It was uncontested in the record before the Hearing Committee that at the time of Ms. Benjamin's arraignment on the underwear case, her bond was set at $1,000 with a 10% payment. Not having the requisite $100 to secure her release, Ms. Benjamin was incarcerated. It is also uncontested that Ms. Benjamin sent respondent a letter requesting him to file a bond review motion for her. Her request was unequivocal. Respondent did not answer Ms. Benjamin's written request. A few days later Ms. Benjamin telephoned respondent from the District of Columbia Jail and renewed her request to him to file a bond review motion. Respondent admits that after the letter and the telephone conversation outlined above, he did not prepare or file a bond review motion or make any other effort to obtain Ms. Benjamin's release from the District of Columbia Jail by helping her to secure the necessary $100. Consequent to respondent's inactivity, Ms. Benjamin remained in the District of Columbia Jail for seventeen days until her son, who had been out of town, returned to Washington and posted the requisite $100. After Ms. Benjamin's release, respondent received a plea offer from the United States Attorney. Her two sets of lawyers disagreed about the advisability of her accepting the government's plea offer. The lawyers representing Ms. Benjamin on the crabmeat case concluded that acceptance of the government's plea offer was in the best interests of Ms. Benjamin. Respondent, on the other hand, concluded that the plea offer was not in Ms. Benjamin's best interests and he so recommended to her. Respondent concedes that he had an adequate opportunity to urge his views upon Ms. Benjamin and that she was competent to make the decision whether to plead guilty. After consideration of the competing advice of her two sets of lawyers, Ms. Benjamin concluded that she wished to accept the government's plea offer. Accordingly, Ms. Benjamin's other lawyers arranged for a hearing before Judge Neilson on October 15, 1979, at which time Ms. Benjamin was to plead guilty in both the underwear and crabmeat cases and to be sentenced. At the hearing, respondent volunteered to the Court that he had advised Ms. Benjamin that the plea arrangement was improvident and unwise and respondent asked Judge Neilson to take this fact into account in the Rule 11 proceeding that he was then conducting on Ms. Benjamin's attempts to plead guilty. Ms. Benjamin's plea was accepted over respondent's objection, and she was sentenced. As noted above, Bar Counsel brought a petition alleging three areas of misconduct: (1) in connection with the respondent's failure or refusal to file a bond review motion, Bar Counsel charged him with neglect and with intentionally failing to seek the lawful objectives of his client; (2) in connection with respondent's failure or refusal to assist Ms. Benjamin in accepting the government's plea bargain, Bar Counsel charged violations of the same two Disciplinary Rules; and (3) Bar Counsel charged respondent with failure to conduct meaningful communication and to provide assistance to his client amounting to a violation of the Disciplinary Rule prohibiting neglect.