Opinion ID: 1692119
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Diverted Clients

Text: Mary Elizabeth testified that during the course of her law practice she had her clients enter into a fee agreement that specifically identified Mantiply & Associates as the attorney employed to represent the client. She stated that Mallory was expected to use this fee agreement while he was working at Mantiply & Associates. However, on a number of occasions Mallory used a fee agreement he had generated, which identified M. Mallory Mantiply as the attorney being employed by the client pursuant to the agreement. Mary Elizabeth testified that Mallory did not request permission nor was he authorized to contract with a client using a fee agreement that identified him, rather than Mantiply & Associates, as the attorney being employed. Mallory testified that when he went to work for Mantiply & Associates, Mary Elizabeth did not have a fee agreement. He stated that he generated a fee agreement for both Mantiply & Associates and M. Mallory Mantiply and that he would use whichever [fee agreement] came up first. Nevertheless, Mallory testified that regardless of which fee agreement he used he would turn over to Mary Elizabeth the proceeds generated from the work he did on the clients' behalf.
Mallory had approached Mary Elizabeth in July 2002 about purchasing an advertisement in the Best Talk telephone book. Mary Elizabeth agreed to purchase an advertisement, and Mallory began putting an advertisement together for Mantiply & Associates. The advertisement that appeared in the Best Talk telephone book contained pictures of Mary Elizabeth and Mallory above the name Mantiply & Associates. Mary Elizabeth, on behalf of Mantiply & Associates, entered into the advertising contract with the company that publishes the book. The cost of the advertisement was $7,344, payable in four installments. Mary Elizabeth testified that she paid the first three installments of the contract; however, she contends that Mallory contacted the company that publishes the telephone book, made the fourth installment payment, and then arranged to have the telephone number referenced in the Best Talk telephone book redirected from Mantiply & Associates to his new law office. Mallory testified that after he left Mantiply & Associates he contacted the publisher of the Best Talk telephone book, who informed him that the bill for the advertisement and telephone-number listing was outstanding. He stated that he was told if he paid the bill he could have the telephone-number listing. Mallory testified that he paid the outstanding bill and had the telephone number in the Best Talk telephone book redirected. He stated that he thought this was fair because the advertisement was his idea; his name and picture were on the advertisement; and Mary Elizabeth still had her original telephone number, which appeared in an advertisement in the Real Yellow Pages telephone book.