Opinion ID: 1969239
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Background Facts Relating to James Brown

Text: Respondent was retained by James Brown in April of 1991 to defend him in a criminal case in the Superior Court. Thereafter, in June of 1991, Respondent was retained by Brown to defend him in a separate criminal case pending in the District Court. Brown was tried and found guilty in both cases. He was sentenced to 87 months incarceration in the District Court case. Respondent represented Brown on the appeal from the District Court conviction. That conviction was affirmed. Thereafter, the Superior Court judge sentenced Brown to from three to nine years of incarceration, to run consecutively with the District Court sentence. Brown informed Respondent that he wished to appeal from his Superior Court conviction, despite the denial of his District Court appeal. (Tr. 31) He also informed Respondent that he wished to file a motion to modify the Superior Court's sentence, so as to have that sentence run concurrently with the District Court's sentence. (Tr. 31) Brown testified that, immediately after his conviction, he discussed with Respondent his desire to appeal his Superior Court conviction, and to move to modify the Superior Court sentence. (Tr. 31-32, 46-47) Brown also testified that Respondent agreed to file the appeal and motion to modify the sentence. (Tr. 31) Respondent denied that he talked to Brown about appealing the Superior Court conviction. However, he admitted that Brown did not tell him not to appeal. (Tr. 89), and also admitted that Brown was definitely interested in appealing his case. (Tr. 89-90) Before the time for appealing from the Superior Court conviction expired, Brown telephoned Respondent in May of 1993 from the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, and requested information regarding his appeal and the motion to modify the sentence. Respondent told Brown that the appeal would take time, and that the motion already had been filed. (Tr. 32-33, 39) On November 17, 1993, after he had been transferred to the Federal Correctional Facility in Ray Brook, N.Y., Brown mailed Respondent a certified letter, in which he asked Respondent to send him documents relating to his case. (BX 16; Tr. 33) Respondent did not respond to the request. (Tr. 33) On March 23, 1994, Brown wrote the Clerk of the Superior Court, requesting copies of any appeals file on his case. (BX 15) In response to that letter, Brown was told that his case had not been appealed, and that no motion to alter the sentence had been filed. (Tr. 34-35). Also, on March 23, 1994, Brown wrote Respondent, and requested copies of the briefs, opinions, and other papers that may have been in the record of the case. (BX 17) Respondent failed to respond to Brown's letter, nor did he send the requested materials. (Tr. 34) Brown telephoned Respondent after he arrived at Ray Brook to let him know he had been moved. Respondent told Brown he would get back to him, but he never did. Brown telephoned Respondent again after a month or two, and told Respondent he would file his own motion to reduce the sentence. (Tr. 40-41). Brown's complaint to Bar Counsel was received on May 2, 1994. (BX 10) After Brown was transferred from Ray Brook to Allenwood in June of 1994, Brown telephoned Respondent, and asked for his transcripts. Respondent told him they were on the way, but, because Brown had complained to Bar Counsel, Respondent no longer wanted to speak to him. (Tr. 40) Brown filed a motion with the Superior Court in attempt to regain his right to appeal, and also a motion to reduce the sentence. Those motions had not been ruled upon as of the date of the hearing. (Tr. 41-42)