Opinion ID: 1593294
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Count III The Hammonds Matter

Text: In November 2002, Lori Ann Hammonds retained respondent to obtain a protective order on her behalf. On the day that Ms. Hammonds' rule for a protective order was set for hearing, respondent arrived ninety minutes late for court. Thereafter, Ms. Hammonds had difficulty communicating with respondent in an effort to determine whether the protective order had been served on the defendant. Ms. Hammonds was finally able to locate the defendant herself, and she notified respondent of the address for service. The defendant was served and ordered to appear for a hearing on December 13, 2002; however, on that date, respondent failed to appear. Ms. Hammonds unsuccessfully tried to locate respondent and was forced to represent herself at the hearing pro se. Later the same day, respondent met with Ms. Hammonds and explained that he had not been in court because he had been checking on service. Following that meeting, Ms. Hammonds once again had difficulty communicating with respondent. On numerous occasions, Ms. Hammonds tried unsuccessfully to obtain updates from respondent concerning the status of the protective order matter, and when she was able to speak with him, he gave her conflicting accounts of what was happening in the case. The last communication Ms. Hammonds received from respondent was a motion to withdraw. The ODC alleges that respondent's conduct violated Rules 1.3 and 1.4 of the Rules of Professional Conduct. [2]