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Disbarred Lawyer Sanctioned For Unauthorized Practice

By Michael Frisch

The Ohio Supreme Court web page reports a significant sanction for unauthorized practice of law:

The Supreme Court of Ohio ruled today that Bruce AndrewBrown of Cleveland engaged in the unauthorized practice of law in hisdealings with five different “clients.” As the sanction for thoseinfractions, the Court imposed civil penalties totaling $50,000;enjoined Brown from any future actions constituting the practice oflaw; ordered him to cease using the terms “Esq.,” “Esquire” “J.D.” or“Juris Doctor” in connection with his name or business name; and statedthat upon a motion by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, the Courtwould order Brown to appear and show cause why he should not be held incontempt for violating a 2003 Supreme Court injunction barring him fromthe unauthorized practice of law.

Brown, also known as B.Andrew Brown, B.A. Brown and Amir Jamal Taurab, was previously licensedas an attorney in New York but was disbarred in 1992 and has never beenadmitted to practice in Ohio.  He has been the subject of three priorcomplaints of alleged unauthorized law practice in Ohio dating back to1992. Brown also has an extensive criminal record including multiplefelony convictions in 1995 for grand theft, forgery, uttering(presenting fraudulent instruments for payment), and tampering withrecords based on conduct related to his unauthorized practice of law.In January 2003, he pleaded guilty in Cuyahoga County Common PleasCourt to a 21-count indictment including six counts of theft, sixcounts of false representation as an attorney, seven counts of passingbad checks, one count of forgery, and one count of uttering. In June2003, Brown pleaded guilty to two counts of forgery in Portage CountyCommon Pleas Court.

In today’s decision, the Court adoptedfindings by the Board on the Unauthorized Practice of Law that Brownused business cards and stationery listing himself as “B. Andrew Brown,Esq.” and identifying his business as “B. Andrew Brown &Associations, L.L.C.” to mislead others into believing that he was alicensed attorney. The Court agreed with the board’s findings thatBrown accepted fees from and gave legal advice to five persons whobelieved he was an attorney; prepared and filed legal documents invarious courts on behalf of those persons; and represented himself toother attorneys, courts and other parties in those cases as the legalrepresentative of his “clients.”

In imposing the maximum$10,000 civil penalty for each of Brown’s five current violations, theCourt noted Brown’s flagrant disregard of its 2003 injunction forsimilar conduct, his continued involvement in “a pattern of deceptionand chicanery,” and the significant harm he caused to several of thepersons who trusted him as their attorney by abandoning or mishandlingtheir legal matters.

The court’s decision is linked here.  (Mike Frisch)

Posted in:
Bar Discipline & Process