He Got The Blues

An attractive new look for the discipline web page of the Idaho State Bar.

A recent case

The Idaho Supreme Court found that Mr. Hanson violated I.R.P.C. 1.7(a) of the Idaho Rules of Professional Conduct, which provides that it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to represent a client if there is a significant risk that the representation will be materially limited by the lawyer’s personal interests. The Idaho Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Order followed a stipulated resolution of an Idaho State Bar disciplinary proceeding and related to the following circumstances.

In November 2015, Mr. Hanson communicated with an individual about the purchase of “blues.” He did not purchase the “blues” or any other controlled substances from that person at that time. On December 1, 2015, that person retained Mr. Hanson as counsel in a criminal probation termination case. In December 2015, Mr. Hanson communicated with his client about “blues” and purchased the “blues” from his client, which affected or could have affected his client’s pending probation termination case. In January 2016, Mr. Hanson’s client retained new counsel.

The Disciplinary Order provided that twelve (12) months of Mr. Hanson’s eighteen (18) month suspension is withheld subject to the terms of his two (2) year probation upon reinstatement, with terms include the following: avoidance of any alcohol or drug-related criminal acts or traffic violations; a program of random urinalysis, with provision that if Mr. Hanson tests positive for any tested substances or misses a random urinalysis test without prior approval, the entire withheld suspension shall be immediately imposed; and if Mr. Hanson admits or is found to have violated any of the Idaho Rules of Professional Conduct for which a public sanction is imposed for any conduct during his period of probation, the twelve (12) month withheld suspension shall be imposed.

(Mike Frisch)