Opinion ID: 2975867
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Gordon’s disciplinary proceedings

Text: Unhappy with Gordon’s allegedly ineffective assistance at trial, Ivory filed a grievance against Gordon with the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission in September of 1998. Commission records, as it turns out, confirm that four other of Gordon’s former clients had also filed grievances against him in the same time period. Counsel for Gordon conceded during the grievance proceedings that, due to heavy substance abuse, Gordon “simply gave up and stopped responding not only to the [Grievance] Commission, but also, pretty much, all the duties in his life.” Furthermore, counsel commented that, during the relevant time period, Gordon “gave up his office and he had difficult personal living circumstances and became a bit of a vagabond for a while.” Gordon’s addiction problems became sufficiently obvious to the Michigan Third Circuit trial judges before whom he practiced that 10 of them arranged an “intervention” for him in February of 2000. The judges at that time demanded that Gordon immediately enter an in-patient treatment program or face revocation of his Third Circuit criminal-practitioner certification. Ultimately, Gordon pled no contest to the disciplinary charges brought against him in connection with the grievances and received a 180-day suspension of his law license that began in March of 2001.