Court Opinion

ID: 9545477
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 17:13:09.729586+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:14:52.495583
License: Public Domain

Prager, J.,
dissenting:
I respectfully dissent. On the basis of the report of the hearing panel and the evidentiary record, I would reinstate the petitioner, Anthony R. Russo, to the practice of law. The Supreme Court has consistently held that, although a report of a disciplinary hearing panel is advisory only, it is to be given the same dignity as a special verdict by a jury, or the findings of a trial court, and will be adopted where amply sustained by the evidence. State v. Zeigler, 217 Kan. 748, 755, 538 P.2d 643 (1975).
The petition of Russo for reinstatement was heard by a hearing panel consisting of three outstanding and able members of the bar who, in the past, have demonstrated a great interest in and dedication to the legal profession and the administration of justice. At the hearing before the hearing panel, twenty-five *13witnesses appeared on behalf of petitioner’s application for reinstatement. The disciplinary administrator did not call a single witness to the stand in opposition to the testimony of these witnesses. The reinstatement of Russo to the practice of law was recommended by the Honorable Harry G. Miller, then administrative district judge of Wyandotte County, Kansas, and his associate, the Honorable William M. Cook. The Honorable O. Q. Claflin III, retired district judge and a member of the Judicial Qualifications Commission, testified on behalf of reinstatement. Other witnesses who testified for the petitioner were (1) representatives for the Kansas Insurance Department and the Kansas Real Estate Commission; (2) various members of the bar of Wyandotte County who have been acquainted with the petitioner since he took up the law practice in that county in the 1960’s; and (3) respectable businessmen from Wyandotte County. Also testifying for Russo’s reinstatement were the present mayor of Kansas City, Kansas, who has known the petitioner for fifteen years, and a former mayor who has served as state senator, judge of the city court of Kansas City, and city attorney. Two of the present Wyandotte County Commissioners testified on behalf of the petitioner along with a member of the Kansas City Civil Service Board. I also note the testimony of Michael Lerner, attorney and chairman of the Wyandotte County Grievance Committee, who was one of the petitioner’s attorneys in the proceeding which led to the suspension of petitioner’s license. Petitioner and his wife also testified on his behalf. In opposition to this testimony, not a single live witness appeared to testify against petitioner’s reinstatement.
In recommending reinstatement of Russo’s license for the practice of law, the hearing panel listed six factors which it considered. These are essentially the same factors which are discussed in the majority opinion and set forth in syllabus ¶ 4. The report of the hearing panel stated in part as follows:
“The State’s Trial Brief lists six factors generally considered by courts in determining an applicant’s present fitness to be reinstated to the practice of law. Each of these factors will be considered with reference to the evidence presented at the hearing.
“1. Petitioner’s present moral character and ethical fitness establishing him as a trustworthy member of the bar
“In the Panel’s view, this is the paramount consideration in that it focuses upon the protection which is due the legal profession and the general public. As the *14State’s Trial Brief points out should be the case, the public interest is the primary consideration guiding this Panel’s recommendation. The evidence presented at the hearing was overwhelming that Petitioner’s present moral character and ethical fitness establish him as a trustworthy member of the bar.
“The Panel finds, based upon the evidence presented at the hearing, that the conduct of Petitioner subsequent to the time of his release from incarceration for his prior felony conviction displays those qualities of resolve and attitude of mind required of an attorney as an officer of the court and by the oath he takes in becoming an officer of the court. The Panel’s reasoning, based upon the basic facts established by the evidence, is as follows:
“(a) Since his release, Petitioner has won the respect of business associates and employers and the approval of government agencies of the State of Kansas, and has displayed diligence, devotion to performing his contractual obligations, and straightforward honesty in dealing with those with whom he has had contact.
“(b) Petitioner’s attitude toward the legal system, which he feels rendered him an injustice in his prior conviction, continues to be one of loyalty, without bitterness, understanding that mistakes can be made, and lacking in any indication of intention on his part to abuse it, clients, adversaries or the courts in any way should he be reinstated.
“(c) Prior to his conviction, Petitioner possessed the integrity and the technical skills of an honest, effective and unselfish attorney, and had the respect of the courts before whom he practiced, prominent attorneys who had occasion to observe his work in law practice, and clients who engaged his services, as well as former adversaries. . . .
“(d) Since his release, Petitioner’s business activities and his life outside his former profession have been exemplary in every respect. . . .
“2. Demonstrated consciousness of the wrongful character of prior misconduct and remorse for the disrepute it has brought on the profession
“This factor can be broken down into two parts:
“(a) Demonstrated consciousness of the wrongful character of the prior misconduct; and
“(b) Remorse for the disrespect it has brought on the profession.
“There is no question in the Panel’s mind, both from the testimony of Petitioner and from the testimony of other witnesses who have known and been in close contact with Petitioner since his incarceration that he has a deep and genuine remorse for the disrepute which his conviction has brought, not only on the legal profession, but also upon his family. However, because of Petitioner’s continued maintenance of his innocence of the conduct of which he was convicted, it is impossible for him to demonstrate a consciousness of the wrongful character of his prior misconduct. Put another way, if rehabilitation, within the meaning of Rule 219, can occur only when a petitioner admits prior misconduct, it is impossible for Petitioner, or anyone else who maintains that he is innocent of the charge of which he has been convicted, ever to be reinstated to practice law in the State of Kansas.
“The Panel is troubled by such a construction, and, after a great deal of consideration of the question is of the opinion that Petitioner’s continued main*15tenance of his innocence should not, standing alone, prevent him from demonstrating that he has rehabilitated himself so as to be entitled to reinstatement. While the Panel concedes the wisdom of the Rule 202 provision making the certificate of a conviction of an attorney for any crime conclusive evidence of the commission of that crime in any disciplinary proceeding instituted against that attorney based upon the conviction, so as not to enable the attorney to retry the prior criminal case, the Panel questions the wisdom or necessity in a reinstatement proceeding, where a number of other factors are necessarily involved, of an ironclad rule which absolutely rules out the possibility of a miscarriage of justice in the prior criminal case.
“The Panel has given due consideration to the fact that normally a demonstrated consciousness of the wrongful character of prior misconduct is necessary before an individual can show genuine remorse and change his conduct sufficiently so as not to again place himself in the same circumstances. In light of all the evidence presented at the hearing, the Panel is of the opinion that because of the facts and circumstances in this case, Petitioner should be allowed to demonstrate his rehabilitation and present moral fitness to practice law without renouncing his claim of innocence of the charge of which he was convicted.
“Although Petitioner does not admit the conduct of which he was convicted, there was a substantial amount of testimony to the effect that Petitioner has recognized that certain aspects of his prior attitudes and conduct led to his difficulties and that in these areas Petitioner’s attitudes and conduct have changed for the better. This will be discussed in the following section of this opinion.
“3. Satisfactory showing of rehabilitation and reformation overcoming the former finding of moral deficiency
“Recause of the fact of his prior conviction, and his loyalty to the legal system of which he now wants again to become a part, Petitioner appears to have the resolve to prove his integrity, honesty and technical skills to a greater extent than what might be expected of other practitioners or perhaps himself prior to his convictions of the crime. This conclusion is supported by testimony from a number of witnesses. To the extent that rehabilitation is viewed as requiring a change from one’s former state or conduct, the Panel finds that testimony of the witnesses at the hearing satisfactorily establishes that such a change has occurred in Petitioner.
“(e) Petitioner’s own testimony was that the people who were really hurt were his family and other lawyers because his conviction reflected badly on other lawyers. He testified that in his view the only thing he can do to rehabilitate himself with other lawyers is to be reinstated and to do the very best he can. He testified that he knows he has to avoid the appearance of impropriety and that he has a commitment to do so, whether he is ever reinstated or not. He further testified that now, if there were ever a situation presented where he would be precarious, he would avoid it. He further testified that although it would have been easier for him not to apply for reinstatement, he elected to do so in order to fulfill what he sees as a commitment to the other lawyers. He testified that he has had lots of time to reflect on his life and that he would not go back to the practice of law as he knew it. He testified that he could have handled himself better as a lawyer and that he did make mistakes, that he should have been more careful with his clients and his communications with them, that he hopes that he can do it better in the future.
*16“4. The nature and seriousness of the misconduct for which the applicant was disciplined
“Although Petitioner was not convicted of having bribed or having attempted to bribe a police officer, he was convicted of having conspired to do so. The conduct of which Petitioner was convicted, and which led to the surrender of his license to practice law, is unquestionably serious. A conspiracy to bribe a police officer strikes at the heart of the legal system in that it is intended to subvert the honest and impartial operation of the system. The Panel is struck by the fact that Petitioner’s conviction of this particular crime is totally out of character when set against the overwhelming evidence which in the Panel’s view establishes Petitioner’s good moral character and respect for and devotion to the legal system.
“5. Petitioner’s conduct subsequent to the discipline imposed
“Petitioner’s conduct subsequent to the surrender of his license has been fully discussed above in connection with other factors to be considered.
“6. The time which has elapsed between the disciplinary action and the application for reinstatement
“Although Petitioner surrendered his license to practice law on June 17, 1976, when his petition to the United States Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari was denied, the conduct for which Petitioner was convicted and which led to the surrender of his license occurred in 1972 or 1973. Regardless of which date is chosen as a reference point, the Panel believes that sufficient time had elapsed for Petitioner to be able to demonstrate his rehabilitation.”
I agree with the majority as to the factors to be considered in determining whether a former attorney should be reinstated to the practice of law. I agree that the decision as to whether an attorney should be reinstated rests exclusively with the Supreme Court under its constitutional powers. I agree that the fact of the criminal conviction is not a matter to be disputed collaterally in a disbarment proceeding or on a hearing for reinstatement. Supreme Court Rule No. 202, 225 Kan. lxxxi, in the last paragraph provides:
“A certificate of a conviction of an attorney for any crime shall be conclusive evidence of the commission of that crime in any disciplinary proceeding instituted against said attorney based upon the conviction.”
I disagree with the majority opinion that, in considering reinstatement, a disciplinary hearing panel and this court are totally precluded from examining the facts and circumstances involved in a prior criminal conviction for the purpose of determining whether or not there are aggravating or mitigating factors present.
The hearing panel noted petitioner’s testimony on the circumstances which brought about his conviction. His testimony, *17which was uncontradicted and which was the only evidence on the question, was substantially as follows:
“[I]n 1973 a client of Petitioner’s told the Federal Bureau of Investigation that money which he had paid to Petitioner in 1972 or 1973 was not actually legal fees, but was instead protection money which Petitioner had agreed to pay to a police lieutenant of the vice squad to protect the client’s massage parlors from raids. Petitioner reported the amounts paid as legal fees on his tax returns and paid income taxes on them. Petitioner was charged with conspiracy to bribe the police officer, but not with bribery, attempted bribery, or prostitution. The police officer was a codefendant in the trial and was acquitted on the basis that there was no bribery. Petitioner’s client pleaded guilty to the charge of agreeing with Petitioner to bribe the police officer, and the jury found Petitioner guilty of the conspiracy.”
It is important to note that the offense of which Russo was convicted was “conspiracy to violate interstate travel in furtherance of prostitution and bribery offenses, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371.” (Emphasis supplied.) He was neither charged nor convicted of bribery or attempted bribery or prostitution. According to the undisputed evidence in the record before us, Russo was convicted on the sole testimony of a former client who pled guilty to the same conspiracy charge of which Russo was convicted. I do not dispute that the charge brought against Russo and of which he was convicted was a serious charge amounting to a felony under federal law. I think it important, however, to emphasize, as did the hearing panel, that there was no evidence presented to show that Russo was guilty of either an attempted or completed crime of bribery or prostitution.
I have no quarrel with the cases cited in the majority opinion from other jurisdictions holding that the serious nature of a criminal conviction may have such an adverse effect upon the legal profession and the administration of justice as to justify the nonreinstatement of an attorney. I do wish to point out, however, that the circumstances in the two cases relied upon are not the same as the one presented in the case now before us. The majority opinion cites In re Brown, _ W. Va. _, 273 S.E.2d 567 (1980). In Brown, a full evidentiary hearing was had before the ethics committee of the West Virginia State Bar, which filed a written report opposing the reinstatement of Brown’s petition to practice law. Furthermore, in Brown, the applicant for reinstatement had been adjudged guilty of three separate counts of conspiracy and the actual bribery of a juror. There is no testimony set forth in Brown, comparable to the extensive testimony presented in this case, supporting Brown’s reinstatement as an attorney. The *18facts in the Brown case are thus not comparable to the facts in the case now before us.
The majority opinion also cites and relies upon the Maryland case of In re Raimondi and Dippel, 285 Md. 607, 403 A.2d 1234 (1979). In Raimondi, the attorney seeking reinstatement had been convicted of an actual attempt to bribe a member of the Maryland General Assembly. I, likewise, do not find in the factual circumstances of Raimondi, the overwhelming support for Raimondi’s reinstatement as was provided by the distinguished judges and lawyers of Wyandotte County in the Russo case.
Anthony R. Russo, a graduate of Washburn University Law School, was admitted to practice in the courts of Kansas in 1961. The only blot in his entire career was the conviction in federal court which caused him to surrender his certificate to practice law in 1976. There is no evidence whatsoever that Russo ever misappropriated a client’s funds or represented a client in an inefficient or unprofessional manner. There is no evidence that he ever deceived a client or made a knowing misleading or untruthful statement to a court. Russo has been out of the practice of law since June of 1976, when he voluntarily surrendered his certificate. I consider this five-year period of suspension a sufficient disciplinary penalty under all the circumstances. I believe that he deserves another chance and I would afford him one by granting his petition for reinstatement.
As noted in the majority opinion, in considering the reinstatement of a disbarred attorney, the Supreme Court has the duty to balance all of the various factors in determining whether or not reinstatement would be granted. Each case must be decided on a case-by-case basis. Under all of the factual circumstances here and in view of the unanimous recommendation of the hearing panel of the disciplinary board, I would grant the petition of Anthony R. Russo for reinstatement to the practice of law in this state.