Disbarment Not A Bonus

Disbarment should be imposed on an attorney convicted of theft, according to a recent recommendation of an Illinois Hearing Board.

The administrator had charged the attorney with numerous acts of forgery and dishonesty as a law firm associate.

Among the charges were falsifying documents to get a bonus from her firm

Respondent’s representations to the firm regarding purported clients Michael Dembov, Steve Stone and Shihai Chen were false and intended to mislead the firm that she was entitled to receive new client bonuses for those bringing the purported new clients to the firm.

The hearing board

In aggravation, the Panel considered the evidence presented by the Administrator, including the testimony of Patrick Sheehan and Administrator’s Exhibits 1 through 13. As the exhibits reflect, Respondent has been convicted of felony theft. Additional aggravating factors are present, which we also considered. Those factors include the pattern of misconduct present in this case and Respondent’s failure to participate in her own disciplinary proceedings.

There are no mitigating factors. While Respondent has no prior discipline, she had been licensed to practice law for only a few years when her misconduct began.

Respondent engaged in multiple acts of dishonesty. Her misconduct included giving falsified information to her employer and her creditors, forging payroll checks and tendering a fraudulent check to settle a claim. The seriousness of Respondent’s misconduct, particularly when combined with the aggravating factors discussed above, warrants disbarment.

The attorney had defaulted on the charges. (Mike Frisch)