Court Opinion

ID: 9545696
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 17:17:50.169417+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:15:22.244947
License: Public Domain

Mr. Justice Doyle
dissenting:
I respectfully dissent from the views expressed and the conclusion reached in the majority opinion.
I do not disagree with the Court’s conclusion that respondent stands convicted of professional misconduct. The facts showing misúse of client’s money are clear beyond any shadow of doubt.
Nor can there be any quarrel with the statements that a lawyer’s duty is indeed a high one and that the moral standards applicable to him are, by reason of the attorney-client relationship and the attendant trust, higher and more strict than those applicable to others. It is, of course, axiomatic that this Court must be alert and vigorous in condemning and punishing professional misconduct in the interests of the public.
*10My differences with the opinion of the majority are two.
First, the jurisdiction in question should not be exercised mechanically. The death penalty, so to speak, should not be imposed in every case regardless of mitigating facts and circumstances. Punishment less than disbarment is often proper and in my opinion would be here appropriate. The Referee recommended something in the nature of probation and it seems to me that this or definite suspension would better “fit the crime” than disbarment. The mitigating circumstances which created the pressures which led to the conduct in question should have been considered. The fact that the complainant and his counsel recommended leniency and requested that a restitution program be followed is, in my opinion, entitled to great weight.
Secondly, I disagree with the characterization of the majority to the effect that the acts constitute embezzlement. We should not brand the respondent an embezzler where there is no such adjudication. While the “John Doe” comparison might have popular appeal, it is not in accord with the procedure followed in criminal cases. Probation is regularly available to first offenders. Jn fact, prison is the exception rather than the rule.
Our duty to the public is not discharged by mechanically condemning in cases such as this. We also serve the public by seeking to redeem and salvage the wrongdoer so that he can achieve and maintain his position in society. I am not convinced that respondent in this case is beyond redemption. In my opinion, we could and should solve the case in the manner suggested.
Mr. Justice Frantz concurs in the dissent.