Inconceivable

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has imposed a suspension of a year and a day retroactive to an interim suspension in July 2007. The attorney was admitted in 1990 and had worked at Finley Kumble and later White & Case, where she “represented large financial institutions in commercial real estate transactions that often involved tax considerations.” She later established her own firm and continued to do tax work.

The attorney was charged with tax offenses relating to her personal taxes and pleaded guilty to three counts of willful failure to file federal income tax returns. She served a prison term and has completed her probationary term. She experienced a number of stressful issues during the period of the offenses. The sanction here will require her to petition for reinstatement.

The Disciplinary Board rejected claims that the crimes were the product of ignorance: “”Respondent’s legal background handling tax and business matters makes it all the more inconceivable that she was unaware of her obligations as to her own taxes.” (Mike Frisch)