Opinion ID: 2487827
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Count VIIThe Hansen Matter

Text: In July 2008, Kristy Hansen hired respondent to represent her in a custody matter. She paid respondent a $900 fee plus an additional $175 for court costs. Ms. Hansen stated that she began having difficulty communicating with respondent in October 2008. Although respondent communicated once with Ms. Hansen via e-mail, she failed to keep Ms. Hansen advised of the status of the matter, including the fact that a scheduled court date had been canceled. Thereafter, Ms. Hansen emailed respondent to request a refund, but respondent failed to respond. In an April 2009 sworn statement to the ODC, respondent testified that she rendered the services for which she was hired and had no intention of refunding the entire fee. Respondent also testified that she would submit a written response to Ms. Hansen's disciplinary complaint as well as documents in support of her claim by April 27, 2009. However, respondent failed to do so. The ODC alleged respondent's conduct violated the following provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct: Rules 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.5(f)(5), 1.15(d), 3.2, 8.1(c), and 8.4(a).