Opinion ID: 2602241
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: respondent's misconduct warrants a suspension of his license to practice law for sixty (60) days and the payment of the costs of this proceeding

Text: ¶ 12 A license to practice law is not conferred for the benefit of the licensee, but for that of the public. The disciplinary process, including the imposition of a sanction, is designed not to punish the delinquent lawyer, but to safeguard the interest of the public, the judiciary, and the legal profession. [18] Disciplinary sanctions serve not only to deter the offending lawyer from committing similar acts in the future, but also operate to put others on notice that departures from ethical norms will not be tolerated. [19] The disciplinary measure to be imposed upon an offending lawyer should be consistent with the quantum of discipline visited upon other lawyers for similar acts of professional misconduct. [20] ¶ 13 The parties stipulated and the trial panel recommended that respondent receive a private reprimand. For the reasons to be stated below, we reject the recommendation and instead impose (1) respondent's license suspension for a period of sixty (60) days, which is to begin when this opinion becomes final, and (2) an obligation to pay the costs of the investigation, record and proceeding. ¶ 14 Today's assessment of a more severe discipline than that which was recommended is warranted by the serious nature of the offense. Respondent, who attempted to dissuade his friend, Dr. Sternlof, from giving expert testimony, is guilty of breaching a vital canon of professional acquittal, ORPC Rule 3.4(f). A lawyer must comply with the standards of ethical conduct; [21] the duty to advocate a client's cause is to be discharged within the limits of legitimate, lawful conduct and those practices that are compatible with the nature of a trial as the law's tool in search for truth. [22] Respondent's admitted ethical breach constitutes a grievous assault upon the truth-seeking function of the judicial process and is harmful enough to militate in favor of a license suspension for sixty (60) days. [23]