Reciprocal Suspension For Contempt Conviction

A reciprocal suspension of a year and UFO was imposed by the New Jersey Supreme Court based on a sanction in New York.

As reported by the Disciplinary Review Board

Respondent was admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1991 and the New York bar in 1992. He has no history of discipline in New Jersey. However, in 2003, respondent was censured in New York for misconduct he had committed in connection with his representation of Ricky Baker in his action against the New York Department of Health (NYDH), as described below. In that case, respondent had made egregious misrepresentations in his resume that had induced [the client] to retain him, specifically with respect to his litigation experience.

This misconduct involves the same client, who had sued and prevailed in a legal malpractice claim against the attorney. He then engaged in criminal contempt in the post-judgment attempts to collect by making false statements that led to an investigation and conviction.

The suspension was imposed nunc pro tunc and the sanctioned attorney is thus eligible to seek reinstatement. (Mike Frisch)