Opinion ID: 1931729
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Evidence At This Committee's Hearing

Text: After receiving CUPL's report, a subcommittee of this Committee scheduled an informal meeting with Mr. Greenwald. R. 98-102. After that meeting, the Committee concluded that it could not recommend his admission to the Bar without a formal hearing pursuant to D.C.App. R. 46(f). R. 102. Mr. Greenwald requested a hearing, which was conducted on April 14 and May 12, 1999. At the hearing, Mr. Greenwald did not dispute CUPL's conclusion that he had engaged in the unauthorized practice of law. R. 432-33. He defended his conduct largely on the ground that he had a good faith belief that it was not necessary for him to be admitted to the District of Columbia Bar, because he was engaged in practice before federal agencies. He testified that his belief was strengthened by the fact that the federal agencies before which he practiced did not, and do not, require that parties be represented by lawyers. R. 379-81, 396-97, 434-35, 442, 462-63. Other attorneys at Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering shared Mr. Greenwald's view. John R. Pickering, a founder of the firm and former president of the District of Columbia Bar, testified that the firm's policy was that all the lawyers in its District of Columbia office should be members of the District of Columbia Bar. Mr. Pickering spoke regularly with Mr. Greenwald about the need to conform to the policy, and Mr. Greenwald usually would respond that he would file his application soon. Mr. Greenwald, however, would became distracted by the press of client business and delayed filing his application. Mr. Pickering, however, did not believe that Mr. Greenwald was legally obligated to become a member of the Bar; instead, his firm's policy was based upon the belief that the firm should support the Bar by having all of its attorneys enrolled, even if they were not legally obligated to do so. R. 170-72, 176-77. Robert Cassidy, also of Wilmer Cutler & Pickering, also regularly discussed with Mr. Greenwald the necessity of becoming a member of the District of Columbia Bar. R. 354. Mr. Cassidy, however, did so because he had encountered resistance to the firm's policy among the firm's associates, who would point to Mr. Greenwald and would inquire why he was apparently exempt from the policy. R. 354-55. Like Mr. Pickering, Mr. Cassidy believed that Mr. Greenwald was not legally obligated to be a member of the District of Columbia Bar, because he practiced before federal agencies which did not require a party's representative to be a member of any bar. R. 353-55, 360-64. [5] Mr. Robert Levy, another attorney at Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering, as well as other attorneys not associated with that firm, shared Mr. Greenwald's view. R. 142-43, 151 (Mr. Levy); R. 231, 236-38 (Thomas Wilner, Esq.). This evidence establishes that Mr. Greenwald sincerely believed that he was not required to be a member of the District of Columbia Bar in order to practice before the Department of Commerce and the United States International Trade Commission. Mr. Greenwald described his non-trade work in private practice as minimal. R. 92. Based upon the evidence at the hearing, we find that to be an accurate description. The non-trade work to which he referred consisted of two matters: the first involved assisting in a real estate transaction when he first worked at Verner, Lipfert in 1981 and 1982, during which he was supervised by another partner in the firm. R. 375-76. The other matter arose when Mr. Greenwald was at Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering. Mr. Greenwald was retained by an agency of the United Nations to evaluate the fairness of a mineral rights transaction between the Government of Guinea and a private party. The firm was retained at a fraction of its usual rates, and provided economic, not legal, advice concerning the mineral development project. R. 378-79, 388-89, 438-39. Mr. Greenwald testified that he initially was surprised by CUPL's conclusion that it was necessary for him to be admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in order to represent parties before foreign tribunals dealing with international trade matters. R. 417-18. He noted that those tribunals did not require parties' representatives to be members of any bar, let alone the bar of a jurisdiction in the United States. R. 418. See also R. 243-44. After reviewing CUPL's report, however, he recognized that membership in the District of Columbia Bar is necessary for anyone who gives legal advice from an office maintained in the District of Columbia. R. 418-19. The evidence demonstrates several positive aspects of Mr. Greenwald's character. First, both those who practice with him and those who have been his adversaries describe him as scrupulously honest. Discovery in many international trade proceedings is limited, and parties may be presented with opportunities to conceal material information that may not favor their position. Mr. Greenwald has always instructed his clients and the other lawyers who work with him that all legally required information must be disclosed to the government agencies with authority over a case, regardless of whether that information is favorable or unfavorable. R. 144-45, 223-24, 343-44. Adversaries also describe him as dedicated to civility in litigation even in an area of the law characterized by hard-fought disputes. R. 224-25. He teaches international trade law at Georgetown University Law School, and often spends extra time with his students, both helping them understand the law and discussing careers in the field. R. 139, 349-50, 409, 412. Both the witnesses who testified and other who sent written recommendations to this Committee spoke highly of his integrity, professionalism and character. R. 135-36, 146 (Mr. Levy); R. 174-75 (Mr. Pickering); R. 186, 192 (Commissioner Marsha Miller of the International Trade Commission); r. 225-227 (Mr. Wilner); R. 323, 330-31 (Thomas Ehrgood, Esq.); R. 342-44, 340 (Mr. Cassidy); R. 489-90 (Susan G. Esserman, Deputy United States Trade Representative); R. 61-71 (responses to questionnaires from the initial character investigation).