Opinion ID: 2423861
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Detriment to the legal system and subversion of the public interest.

Text: The crimes of which Respondent was convicted, including the felony of impeding a police officer, are serious. Respondent's accident, the charges against him and his criminal jury trial were the subject of significant media coverage. The panel is concerned whether Respondent's readmission to the bar will adversely affect the integrity and standing of the bar and whether it is in the public interest to return him to the practice of law. In considering the appeal of Respondent's professional conduct case, the Supreme Court looked at the underlying facts in considering sanctions. This is equally appropriate here in considering reinstatement. There is no disagreement that respondent's felony conviction for the crime of impeding a public officer is professional misconduct as defined by Rule 8.4(c). . . . Although impeding a public officer does not necessarily involve intentional misrepresentation, dishonesty, or deceit, in this case that was respondent's conduct. It was lying to the police officer that resulted in respondent's conviction for impeding a public officer, Neisner 2010 VT 112, ¶ 14, and the parties agreed in their joint recommendation as to conclusions of law that intentional misrepresentation and deceit are necessary elements of providing false information to a law enforcement officer. In re Neisner, Jr. 2010VT 102 ¶ 13. The public expects, and should expect, that attorneys will act with honesty and integrity in their interactions not only with law enforcement officers, but with courts and other lawyers. In considering his misconduct appeal the Supreme Court considered the significant harm to the public resulting from his misconduct. Id. at ¶ 17. We must consider whether this harm would continue if Respondent were reinstated or whether there have been sufficient changes in Respondent's behavior and situation that would assure us that this potential for harm to the public or subversion of the public interest no longer exists. At both his misconduct hearing and at the present hearing for reinstatement, Respondent presented considerable evidence of his standing in the community and the changes in attitudes towards him since the accident. Respondent has lived and practiced law in Killington for a number of years. He has also served as moderator of the Killington Town Meeting. At the Town Meeting after the accident, he made a public apology to the town and was reelected as Moderator that year and has been every year since. He has also been appointed Town Health Officer by the Select Board. He has been a Justice of the Peace since 2000. Respondent hit bottom in terms of his standing in the community and his alcoholism at the time of the accident in September of 2007. He was at that time a very visible and involved member of the small community of Killington. Respondent began both his recovery from alcoholism and his personal rehabilitation in this same community. Beginning with his apology to the Town Meeting in March of 2008 and his continued presence and activism in a small community where it was not possible for him to hide have stood him in good stead. All of the witnesses testified that he has regained the respect and esteem of the Killington community. When pressed, the witnesses acknowledged that there may be persons in the community who still have a negative impression of Respondent, but that if such persons exist they are a negligible portion of the community. The view most expressed was that Respondent had been away from the practice long enough, that both the town's people and Respondent needed him to return to the practice of law and that he had come out of the experience a better person with skills and understanding that he might have lacked in the past.