Opinion ID: 1303545
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: heit, buerkett, and hahn accounts

Text: Dosch represented Dann Heit in a personal injury matter for which he received monies that were deposited in the law office trust account. Dosch converted funds from that account, causing an overdraft of the account and the unavailability of the funds that were to be held in trust for Heit, pending resolution of other issues in the case. The panel found Dosch had violated the North Dakota Rules of Professional Conduct 1.15(a), (b), and (c) and the North Dakota Procedural Rules for Lawyer Disability and Discipline 1.2(A)(3). Dosch received $12,200 for distribution to his client, Lorilea Buerkett, which he deposited in the law office trust account. Dosch wrote Buerkett, stating that upon his receipt of a signed release from her, he would mail her the money, but Dosch had converted a portion of the funds held in trust and there were, at that time, insufficient monies to cover the $12,200 payment. The panel found that Dosch, by this action, had violated the North Dakota Rules of Professional Conduct 1.15(a) and (b) and the North Dakota Procedural Rules for Lawyer Disability and Discipline 1.2(A)(3). Dosch borrowed $18,000 from his client, Patricia Hahn, which he used to replace monies he had taken from the Roman estate. The panel found Dosch had violated North Dakota Rules of Professional Conduct 1.8(a), by failing to advise Hahn to seek advice from independent counsel before making the loan to Dosch.