Opinion ID: 2275350
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Respondent's Proposed Exceptions.

Text: Respondent has alleged that he was denied a fair hearing because he had to represent himself on March 5, 2002, after his counsel withdrew their appearance on January 23, 2002. According to McLaughlin, any problems that resulted from his self-representation and his failure to respond to the requests for admissions of fact should be excused because he lacked litigation skills and suffered from a psychiatric condition. McLaughlin, however, fails to take responsibility for the countless times that the hearing judge, to no avail, gave him opportunities to seek legal counsel, raise objections, and respond to the requests for admissions of fact. [14] Gratuitously, the hearing judge had even gone so far as to afford McLaughlin a post-hearing continuance to respond by April 15, 2002. During that post-hearing hiatus between March 5 and April 22, 2002, [15] McLaughlin did not file any response to the requests for admission of fact, even though he had been afforded the additional time to do so. Respondent now requests a remand for an entirely new hearing to attempt to prove that he, in fact, earned all of the money that he was paid by the complainants. The hearing judge found and this Court agrees, as we shall discuss, that McLaughlin charged fees in excess of $72,000 for work he had not done. Thus, a remand is not appropriate. Having been given a fair opportunity to be heard on the request for admissions of fact, McLaughlin has exhausted his entitlement to further judicial proceedings. See Attorney Grievance Comm'n v. Harris, 366 Md. 376, 391, 784 A.2d 516, 525 (2001) (citing Attorney Grievance Comm'n v. Stewart, 285 Md. 251, 259, 401 A.2d 1026, 1030 (1979) (recognizing that, if a lawyer is given notice and the opportunity to defend in a full and fair hearing, the question of whether he was accorded due process of law is ordinarily immaterial)).