Opinion ID: 2558572
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Respondent's Representation of Gladys Thomas

Text: 9. On January 9, 2003, G. Thomas, through her attorney, Ms. Cooper, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging that she was a victim of age discrimination in connection with her discharge from DCRA, the same allegation she had made in her earlier complaint filed with the Office of Human Rights. BX 8b. 10. During November 2003, Respondent was contacted by Ms. Cooper, apparently to determine whether Respondent should be a witness in G. Thomas' case against the District of Columbia. BX 4 (fax cover sheet dated November 23, 2004 (note that the date is erroneous and should read 2003)). G. Thomas listed Respondent as a possible witness in her discovery disclosure in the federal court action. BX 8f (discovery disclosure). When she was contacted by Ms. Cooper, Respondent was employed in private practice, specializing in employment discrimination cases. Tr. 3/27/06 at 803-05. 11. Respondent told Ms. Cooper that she should not be a witness in the case because she did not have information about the G. Thomas file, not having been involved in the issuance of the LOD. Respondent did share with Ms. Cooper her recollection of the G. Thomas file. Id. at 792-93 (I [Respondent] told her [Ms. Cooper] that I had no information. Because, first of all, even though I had reviewed portions of the file, there was nothing there. I mean because there was nothing there. I mean there was nothing that was confidential in the file. There was nothing there that I could recall and I had not prepared it. I had not looked at it. I had not looked at the investigation. I had no contact at all with her. The only thing I did was after the fact when Nadine Wilburn questioned me on my analysis of Michelle Thomas' performance.). 12. Respondent and Ms. Cooper proceeded to discuss the possibility of Respondent entering into a co-counsel relationship with Ms. Cooper, with the first matter they would work on together being the G. Thomas federal court discrimination suit. Id. at 803-05; BX 4 (email dated January 6, 2004). 13. In December 2003, Ms. Cooper asked Respondent to review and edit a significant motion in the federal court action, by which G. Thomas sought reconsideration of the federal court's denial of leave to amend her discrimination complaint to add allegations of sex discrimination. BX 4. The court had previously denied leave to amend, in part because G. Thomas had failed to exhaust her administrative remedies before OHR. The exhaustion issue, in turn, required an examination of the scope of the claim filed with, and investigated by, OHR. Thus, G. Thomas sought to demonstrate in her motion for reconsideration that the way her file had been handled at OHR did not preclude her new effort to amend her complaint to add sex discrimination. BX 8g. 14. Respondent reviewed the draft motion and advised Ms. Cooper that her analysis appears to be sufficient. BX 4. She also reviewed the legal citations for accuracy. Id. The Hearing Committee concluded that, beginning in December 2003, Respondent undertook to act as co-counsel with Ms. Cooper in representing G. Thomas in her federal court suit. HC Rpt. ¶ 12. 15. At the same time, Ms. Cooper also invited Respondent to attend upcoming depositions in G. Thomas' case, including the deposition of M. Thomas, the OHR investigator, whom Respondent supervised. Respondent answered Ms. Cooper's invitation in a document dated December 19, 2003: I am also in receipt of your deposition schedule for DCRA's witnesses. I will review my schedule to determine my availability. I agree with you that my attendance at these depositions will allow me to become more familiar with Gladys' ADEA action against DCRA. However, I am puzzled at why you are deposing Michelle Thomas. I am certain that D.C. Government will object to you asking Michelle questions on her investigation of Gladys' complaint under the D.C. Human Rights Act. Michelle was not investigating Gladys case for DCRA or investigating her claim under ADEA. I have concerns about being present during a deposition of Michelle Thomas because (a) my attorney plans to depose Michelle Thomas during my wrongful termination case; and (b) even though I was not involved in the investigation of OHR's No Probable Cause decision in Gladys' case, my name is listed on Gladys Letter of Determination. I will get back with you with respect to other issues regarding my present [ sic ] or role during the deposition of Michelle Thomas. BX 4 (fax cover sheet dated December 19, 2003). This document made clear that Respondent was seeking to serve as a lawyer for G. Thomas (my attendance at those depositions will allow me to become more familiar with Gladys' ADEA action against DCRA). 16. Ms. Cooper likewise invited Respondent to attend the deposition of Bernard Ferguson, one of G. Thomas' supervisors at DCRA, scheduled for January 13, 2004. Respondent testified that she was concerned about attending the deposition because she was not admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Tr. 4/27/06 at 1332-33. In mid-December, 2003, Respondent made a call to an unnamed representative at the D.C. Bar Ethics Counsel. Tr. 3/27/06 at 825-26. Respondent told the D.C. Bar Ethics Counsel that she had concerns because someone wanted her to assist in a case that was in OHR while she was employed at that office. Id. Respondent provided a partial description of the relevant facts, but omitted her involvement with the G. Thomas matter after the issuance of the LOD. Id. at 817-30; BX 4 (email dated January 6, 2004). Respondent also testified that she had a similar conversation with an unnamed practicing attorney who did not appear before the Hearing Committee (or before the federal court when it considered the District of Columbia's disqualification motion). Tr. 3/27/06 at 825-29; BX 8q. 17. Respondent attended the Ferguson deposition on January 13, 2004. There was a great deal of testimony before the Hearing Committee about the circumstances of the deposition; the role that Respondent played or appeared to play, including whether she provided questions to Ms. Cooper; and even whether Respondent was introduced at the deposition as one of G. Thomas' lawyers. HC Rpt. ¶ 16. Respondent testified that she attended the deposition merely as an observer, Tr. 3/27/06 at 831, 848, but also testified that Ms. Cooper may have asked her to review her draft questions in advance of the deposition. Id. at 831. The Hearing Committee found that Respondent's conduct during and after the deposition demonstrated that she was functioning as a lawyer assisting Ms. Cooper in the representation of G. Thomas. HC Rpt. ¶ 16; see supra ¶¶ 13-14.