No Safe Haven

The Ohio Supreme Court suspended an attorney for two years with one year stayed on conditions for misconduct that included using his trust account for improper purposes. After his divorce, he incurred “financial obligations that he was unable to fulfill, leading to judgments against him…his business and personal bank accounts were garnished, so he closed them and began depositing personal funds into his IOLTA account to shield them from creditors.” The court held that “a lawyer may not use his IOLTA account, which is a tool established for the benefit of the profession, as a ‘safe haven’ for his money to avoid his personal financial responsibilities.” The actions are dishonest and prejudicial to the administration of justice. (Mike Frisch)