Court Opinion

ID: 9556276
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-16 19:06:59.232642+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T16:42:14.789699
License: Public Domain

OGINAL
                                                                                          08/16/2023

           IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA
                                                                                     Case Number: PR 23-0070
                                        PR 23-0070
                                                                          FILED
                                                                           AUG 1 6 2023
                                                                        Bowen Greenwood
 IN THE MATTER OF GREGORY P. JOHNSON,                                 Clerk of Supreme Court
                                                                         State of Montane

       An Attorney at Law,                                            ORDER

              Respondent

       On January 26, 2023, the Office of Disciplinary Counsel (ODC) filed a formal
disciplinary complaint with the Commission on Practice (Commission) against Montana
attorney Gregory P. Johnson.       The disciplinary complaint may be reviewed by any
interested person in the office of the Clerk of this Court.
       On February 6, 2023, Johnson tendered an admission and affidavit of consent
pursuant to Rule 26(B)(3) of the Montana Rules for Lawyer Disciplinary Enforcement
(MRLDE). Johnson acknowledged that the material facts of the complaint were true and
that he had violated the Rules of Professional Conduct by failing to deposit unearned fees
into his IOLTA account, as alleged by ODC.
       After ODC concurred with Johnson's tendered admission, the Commission heard
the matter on July 19, 2023. Johnson appeared in person and represented himself at the
hearing.
       On August 8, 2023, the Commission submitted to this Court its Findings of Fact,
Conclusions of Law, and Recommendation for Discipline in which it recommended that
this Court approve Johnson's conditional admission and enter an order imposing the
agreed-upon discipline of public censure by this Court.
       We agree with the Commission's recommendation. In his conditional admission,
Johnson admitted that he accepted a retainer, consisting in part of advanced fees and costs,
that he failed to place into his IOLTA account, instead incorrectly treating the entirety of
the fees and costs as "eamed upon receipt." Thus Johnson violated M. R. Pro. Cond. 1.15
and 1.18. In making its recommendation, the Commission notes that it does so hesitantly,
as in most circumstances, it would not recommend public censure for an IOLTA
transgression that did not ultimately harm the client and where, as here, the attorney
cooperated with ODC's investigation.          However, the Commission found that a
recommendation of public censure is warranted because Johnson was informally
disciplined for a trust account violation in 2009 and ODC provided Johnson a violation
warning in 2019.
       Based upon the foregoing:
       IT IS HEREBY ORDERED:
       1. The Commission's Recommendation that we accept Johnson's Rule 26 tendered
admission is ACCEPTED AND ADOPTED.
       2. Johnson shall appear before this Court for a public censure to be administered in
our Courtroom at L : LS o'clock.p_.m. on Sez: ptatinbelt..., 2023.
       3. Johnson shall pay the costs incurred by ODC and the Commission in connection
with this matter.
       4. Johnson shall obey all laws and the Montana Rules of Professional Conduct, with
any violations thereto constituting a violation of a court order resulting in further
disciplinary action.
       5. Pursuant to MRLDE 26(D), the Clerk of this Court is directed to file copies of
Johnson's Conditional Admission and Affidavit of Consent, together with the
Commission's Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Recommendations for
Discipline.
       The Clerk of this Court is directed to serve a copy of this Order of Discipline upon
counsel for Gregory P. Johnson, and to provide copies to Disciplinary Counsel, the Office
Administrator for the Commission on Practice, the Clerks of all the District Courts of the
State of Montana, each District Court Judge in the State of Montana, the Clerk of the
Federal District Court for the District of Montana, the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Appeals
of the Ninth Circuit, and the Executive Director of the State Bar of Montana.
                        t's 1
       DATED this 6 day of August, 2023.

                                                                Chief Justice

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