Reinstatement Denied

The petition for reinstatement of a lawyer who had resigned in 1993 was denied by the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The lawyer had used funds from a conservatorship for his personal debts. The major impediment to reinstatement was his failure to make full restitution. The Client Security Fund has determined that the claims exceeded $133,000; he had repaid around $85,000. The court was “concerned…with [his] position that no further restitution is necessary.” Further, because the ward was suffering from dementia, “[h]e…implied [she] was not harmed because she was unable to comprehend his breach of trust.” The court soundly rejected this proposition:”…regardless of whether she knew her immediate needs were being met, [she] was harmed by [the attorney] because her trust in him was abused.” (Mike Frisch)