Court Opinion

ID: 9791239
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 02:07:57.353652+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:35.063129
License: Public Domain

Dolliver, J. (dissenting)
The opinion of the majority is comprehensive and persuasive. From the record it would appear the offenses which Mr. McGough has committed are sufficient to warrant immediate disbarment. If that was all that was involved in the case, I would vote with the majority. There is an aspect of the case, however, which although touched upon by the majority, remains in my view unresolved. This is the mental competence of Mr. McGough both at the present time and at the time of the offenses. As the majority indicates, no findings were made by the hearing officer regarding Mr. McGough's mental state. Majority, at 12 n.6. The other reference made by the majority to Mr. McGough's mental condition is that since he "refused to follow" the recommended treatment of the Director of the Lawyers' Assistance Program his mental condition as a mitigating factor cannot be afforded "significant weight." Majority, at 17.
I see no reason to rush to judgment. While it certainly appears Mr. McGough should not continue in the practice of law—and thus should be suspended forthwith—I do not believe summary disbarment is necessary or proper.
The issue of Mr. McGough's mental competence hangs over this entire proceeding. A person who is mentally incompetent should not be disbarred but rather placed on "disability inactive status". RLD 11.1(1). The issue of Mr. McGough's mental competency which has been raised by *20him needs to be determined. I am appalled that the matter was not considered by the hearing officer or pursued diligently by the Bar Association and that it is treated so cavalierly by the majority. Under these circumstances, I cannot vote for disbarment.
I would remand the entire matter to the Washington State Bar Association for a hearing on the past and present mental competency of Mr. McGough. The court should then await the recommendation of the Board of Governors subsequent to that hearing before taking further action. As I believe Mr. McGough should be suspended from the practice of law during this time, no damage would occur to the public.
Mental illness is a malady which must be confronted like any other disability. While the public must be protected, a member of the bar who may be mentally ill must also be protected and must be treated fairly. I do not believe Mr. McGough has been treated fairly by the Bar Association or by the majority. Rather than grant Mr. McGough the protection to which any other citizen of this state who would claim mental incapacity would be given, the majority would summarily disbar him. As it refers to the issue of Mr. McGough's mental incapacity, the entire proceeding has been a charade. I must object and dissent.
Callow, C.J., and Utter, J., concur with Dolliver, J.