Opinion ID: 1530578
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Complaint of Shannette Taylor-Hawkins

Text: Evidence was presented at the Circuit Court hearings on April 17 and 18, 1996 to establish the following facts regarding the above Complaint. On October 10, 1991, Ms. Taylor-Hawkins, the Complainant, and her daughter, Charise Nicole Colbert, were passengers in a taxicab that was involved in an accident. Initially, the Complainant hired attorney Nelson Kandel to represent her in a personal injury action. After fifteen months, Ms. Taylor-Hawkins discharged Kandel, and hired Mr. Milliken to her knowledge. Ms. Taylor-Hawkins learned of Mr. Milliken from an acquaintance. During their initial telephone conversation, Mr. Milliken told Ms. Taylor-Hawkins to pick up the file from Nelson Kandel's office and drop it off at MPA with his paralegal, Robert Morgan. Ms. Taylor-Hawkins believed the Respondent also maintained one of his offices at MPA. When she arrived there, she gave the file to Mr. Morgan. Mr. Milliken was not present. Subsequently, Ms. Taylor-Hawkins called MPA's office at St. Paul Street several times and spoke to Robert Morgan or his wife. She also tried to contact the Respondent at his office but always spoke with an individual named Ina. She found that the 462 number (Druid Park, the location of Mr. Milliken's office), was eventually disconnected. The only contact she had regarding her case was with Mr. Morgan with whom she met one time. He told her they were working on the file. Mr. Milliken explained that Ms. Taylor-Hawkins knew she could reach him through a mutual friend named Margo. He testified that his role was to determine whether she had a case. He determined that she did not, and he informed her of his conclusion by phone. He believed that to be a sufficient communication and therefore did not send any written correspondence. When asked for verification of his actions, Mr. Milliken stated that he had no files or records because he did not record incidents of that nature. He testified that he did not maintain records because he never accepted money from her, and therefore, did not view her as a client. Finally, although Mr. Milliken testified that he made his relationship with MPA clear to her, Ms. Taylor-Hawkins did not understand the distinction between a lawyer and a paralegal. In the Answers to Requests for Admissions, the Respondent addressed Mr. Morgan's involvement with Ms. Taylor-Hawkins' file. Mr. Milliken admitted that he asked Mr. Morgan to take a look into the file and see just what was in it and what would I needwhat, if anything, I might need. Mr. Milliken stated that he took the file for his own review, but after deciding that he did not want the case, he returned it to Robert Morgan. Bar Counsel demonstrated through clear and convincing evidence that the Respondent violated several Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct in the course of his representation of Ms. Taylor-Hawkins. In this situation Mr. Milliken essentially left Ms. Taylor-Hawkins dangling. Though he did not understand that she was his client, from the moment that he agreed to review her case and directed her to deliver her file to his paralegal associate, Mr. Milliken was bound by the Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct in handling this matter. Although Mr. Milliken asserted that he did review the file and advised Ms. Taylor-Hawkins by phone that she had no case, he did not memorialize the conversation in any fashion. He did not notify her in writing. He did not make or keep a file of any kind. He did not even make any notes regarding his evaluation of the case or any conversation with her. Indeed, he attempted to justify the failure to make or maintain records on the rather astounding basis that because he never accepted money from her, he did not view her as a client. By contrast, Ms. Taylor-Hawkins was quite convincing in explaining that after their one (and only) telephone conversation, she never heard from Mr. Milliken again. He failed to return any of her numerous phone calls, and after his office phone was disconnected, he never provided her with information regarding how she could get in touch with him. Such inaction by Mr. Milliken clearly fails to comply with Rule 1.1 which requires a lawyer to provide competent representation and necessitates thoroughness and preparation reasonably necessary for the representation. Further, Mr. Milliken's inaction and inattentiveness, as noted above likewise fails to satisfy Rule 1.3 which obligates a lawyer to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client. By failing to contact, communicate with, or respond to his client's requests Mr. Milliken failed to comply with Rule 1.4(a). It obligated him to keep her reasonably informed about the status of the matter and promptly comply with reasonable requests for information. In startling contrast to this important duty, Mr. Milliken did nothing to respond to, or communicate with his client. Rule 1.16(d) obligates a lawyer to surrender papers and property to which the client is entitled. Since the file that was obtained from Nelson Kandel and turned over to Robert Morgan at Mr. Milliken's direction for delivery to, and review by Mr. Milliken was somehow lost and never returned to Ms. Taylor-Hawkins after review by Mr. Milliken, he has also violated Rule 1.16(d). Finally, in the context presented, having directed the client to deliver her file to Robert Morgan to do some type of work, and subsequently directing Mr. Morgan to return the file to the client, Mr. Milliken had supervisory responsibility under Rule 5.3(b) over Mr. Morgan and his possession and disposition of the file. Mr. Milliken's responsibility to supervise the activities of such non-lawyer assistants obligated him to make reasonable efforts to ensure that Mr. Morgan's conduct was compatible with the lawyer's professional obligations in this case, including the responsibility to return the file or take other reasonable steps to make certain that the client knew what happened to the file. Ms. Taylor-Hawkins' file was never returned to her. Neither Mr. Milliken nor Mr. Morgan had any explanation for what happened to the file. Such shoulder shrugging hardly suffices to satisfy the mandate of Rule 5.3(b).