Opinion ID: 1857715
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Irula Matter

Text: On June 14, 1999, nearly two weeks after respondent and the ODC filed a joint petition for interim suspension in this court, respondent accepted the representation of Vladimir Irula in a DWI matter. Mr. Irula paid respondent $250 towards a $550 fee. Respondent accepted the representation knowing he was to be interimly suspended. He also neglected Mr. Irula's legal matter and failed to appear in court on the arraignment date, which resulted in the issuance of a bench warrant for Mr. Irula's arrest. Furthermore, respondent failed to communicate with Mr. Irula and failed to refund the unearned fee. In July 1999, Mr. Irula filed a complaint against respondent with the ODC. The ODC alleged that respondent's conduct violated Rules 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 (failure to refund an unearned fee), and 8.4(c) of the Rules of Professional Conduct.