Opinion ID: 1450146
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Alleged Violation of DR 7-104(A)(1).

Text: A tenant in a mobile home park was involved in a dispute with her landlord. She employed the accused to represent her. On October 2, 1987, the accused wrote to Thomas Rastetter, the landlord's lawyer, advising him that the accused represented the tenant. ORS 90.600 requires the landlord to give at least 90 days' advance notice of a rent increase and an opportunity to meet with the landlord. In November 1987, after the tenant received a notice of a rent increase, the accused, with his client, met with Ms. Duckworth, the representative of the landlord, at the time and place specified by the landlord to discuss the proposed rent increase. At the meeting, the accused inquired if Mr. Rastetter was going to attend the meeting, and Ms. Duckworth said no. The accused and his client then spent about an hour discussing the proposed rent increase with Ms. Duckworth. DR 7-104(A)(1) provides: During the course of the lawyer's representation of a client, a lawyer shall not: (1) Communicate or cause another to communicate on the subject of the representation, or on directly related subjects, with a person the lawyer knows to be represented by a lawyer on that subject, or on directly related subjects, unless the lawyer has the prior consent of the lawyer representing such other person or is authorized by law to do so. This prohibition includes a lawyer representing the lawyer's own interests. The accused asserts that he was authorized by law to represent his client at a statutory rent increase meeting even if the landlord chose not to have an attorney attend. ORS 90.600(1) requires a landlord who is raising the rent at a mobile home park to give each affected tenant an opportunity to meet with the landlord or a representative of the landlord to discuss the rent increase. Nothing in the text of ORS 90.600 suggests that the prohibition of DR 7-104(A)(1) does not apply in this situation. [3] True, a tenant can choose to ask her lawyer to attend the meeting. Here, however, there was an ongoing dispute between the landlord and the tenant, and the accused knew that the landlord was represented by a lawyer, Rastetter. The proposed rent increase was the very matter in dispute between the landlord and the tenant. The accused was not authorized by law to communicate with Duckworth. [4] We find the accused guilty of violating DR 7-104(A)(1). Alleged Violation of DR 2-110(A)(2). The accused was charged with withdrawing from his representation of a client without taking steps to avoid foreseeable prejudice to the client. The trial panel found the accused not guilty of the charge. It would serve no purpose to set forth the facts on this charge. We agree with the trial panel's finding and therefore proceed to the last charge.