Opinion ID: 1887522
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Imperfect Analogy to Misappropriation Cases

Text: While respondent's attempt to secure a fee from the court by false representations is extremely serious, it is not of the Addams variety which represents the reprehensible breach of trust to the client. See Addams, 579 A.2d at 198-99. As we explained subsequently, A clear rational basis exists for this conclusion that attorneys who knowingly misappropriate client funds stand in a different position than attorneys who commit other acts involving dishonesty. As we also stated in Addams, the intentional misappropriation of client funds  strike[s] at the core of the attorney-client relationship  by undermining the public's faith that attorneys will fulfill their duties as fiduciaries with regard to the host of financial transactions that require a client to entrust funds to his attorney. . . . For this reason, [t]he appearance of a tolerant attitude toward known embezzlers would undermine public confidence in the integrity of the profession and of the legal system whose functioning depends on lawyers. In re Dulansey, 606 A.2d 189, 190-91 (D.C.1992) (quoting Addams, 579 A.2d at 193) (emphasis added). Respondent's misconduct involved no breach of trust to her client, and therefore, does not fit into this framework. Although an argument can be made that a lawyer's attempt to secure funds by fraud or deceit from any source should be subject to the Addams rule, our precedents have not taken us there. See Pennington, supra, 921 A.2d at 141. To do so in this case will result in a disparate sanction for respondent as compared with other attorneys who have been disciplined for similar misconduct. See, e.g., Elgin, supra, 918 A.2d at 375, 384 (six-month suspension and $5000 in restitution for attorney who used client's credit card for personal expenses); Schneider, supra note 5, 553 A.2d at 207, 209, 212 (thirty-day suspension for attorney who falsified credit receipts to obtain reimbursement from law firm for expenses that stood to be charged to the client).