Court Opinion

ID: 9561897
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 18:18:20.837264+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:13:13.788855
License: Public Domain

Gunderson, J.,
dissenting:
I respectfully dissent.
In the instant case, Mr. Francovich accepted a fee of $1,000 to prosecute an appeal for which he knew a transcript was required. When the district court denied his request for a free transcript, Mr. Francovich simply retained the defendant’s money, without seeking mandamus relief in this court, as could have been done. See NRAP 21; Teeter v. District Court, 64 Nev. 256, 180 P.2d 590 (1947).
As a legal principle, I can accept that isolated instances of professional neglect should not be the subject of Bar disciplinary proceedings, but instead should be left for the courts’ cognizance in civil malpractice actions in instances where damage results. However, I am not ready to characterize as mere “neglect” the practice of pocketing substantial amounts of money for services which a lawyer then makes no good faith effort to perform. Cf. Selznick v. State Bar, 547 P.2d 1388 (Cal. 1976); Doyle v. State Bar, 544 P.2d 937 (Cal. 1976). Review of the authorities indicates that other tribunals view such derelictions in terms of moral turpitude, dishonesty and corruption.
Moreover, I could not in any case countenance modifying Mr. Francovich’s penalty on the ground that, as the majority say: “In the matter at hand we have a single case of neglect.” I suggest the Board of Bar Governors knows Mr. Francovich has been in professional difficulties thoughout the years. For example, as I believe they all know, only a few years ago Mr. Francovich, who had proceeded “up though the chairs” of the Board of Bar Governors, had to forego the presidency of the State Bar of Nevada because problems over one of his professional indiscretions surfaced just prior to his expected election as president. The Board was constrained to reprimand Mr. Francovich publicly, both for commingling a client’s funds with his own, and for improperly borrowing money from a client. See, Journal of the Nevada State Bar, 39 Inter Alia 32 (Jan. 1974).
*108This court has recently held: “The previous poor record and repeated misconduct of an attorney may be considered in determining' the severity of the penalty to be assessed in a disciplinary proceeding.” In re Miller, 87 Nev. 65, 72, 482 P.2d 326, 330 (1971). For a pattern of misconduct nearly identical to what the records establish concerning Mr. Francovich, the California Supreme Court unanimously approved an actual suspension of one year, with a further probationary period extending to three years. See Selznick, cited above. Therefore, I suggest the majority’s basis for modifying the Board’s recommendation is contrary to the facts and to precedent.
In general, I question whether suspensions are a very useful method of professional discipline. After all, an attorney’s failure to serve clients to whom he has committed himself will hardly be corrected by ordering that, for months, he is not to serve his clients at all. Therefore, where total disbarment does not yet appear appropriate, a suspension or temporary disbarment may do little to serve the public interest.
Even so, here it appears that although the Board of Governors had already subjected Mr. Francovich to the discipline of public censure, his lack of professional responsibility persisted. Thus, despite personal reservations about suspension as a sanction, I cannot disagree with the Board that suspension is the only remedy remaining, short of disbarment, which may be sufficient to impress Mr. Francovich that professional obligations must be honored.
The time comes when compassion for an attorney can only be counted as insensitivity to the public. The Board of Bar Governors’ recommendation should be approved.