Illinois Potpourri
The Illinois Supreme Court has announced dispositions in a number of disciplinary matters
Highlights
Mr. Anderson, who was licensed in 1978, was suspended for thirty days. He engaged in a sexual relationship with a client after the client-lawyer relationship commenced. The suspension is effective on June 11, 2019.
Mr. Atteberry, who was North Clark licensed in 2001, was suspended for sixty days. He filed a statement of candidacy in a primary election for the office of resident circuit judge for Shelby County in which he claimed a false residence address within the county in order to comply with the residency requirement for that judicial position. In fact, he did not reside in Shelby County and was ineligible for the office. The suspension is effective on June 11, 2019.
Mr. Deer, who was licensed in 1990, was disbarred on consent. He was convicted of forgery and subornation of perjury in the Circuit Court of Cook County after he created a false promissory note to support a purported $400,000 loan and procured a witness to testify falsely about the source of those funds, which were used to pay a cash bond in a criminal case. He was suspended on an interim basis on November 30, 2018.
Mr. Gold-Smith, who was licensed in 2003, was disbarred on consent following his criminal convictions for the crimes of solicitation of murder for hire, aggravated battery, violation of an order of protection and communicating with a witness. He was suspended on an interim basis on September 9, 2016.
Mr. Lewis, who was licensed in 1975, was suspended for five months. He fraudulently used his former domestic partner’s employer-provided health insurance benefits for a period of approximately eight years following the end of their domestic partnership. The suspension is effective on June 11, 2019.
The Herald-News reported on the Gold-Smith criminal case.
A Homer Glen lawyer convicted of trying to buy his wife’s murder from inside the Will County jail was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison.
Judge Daniel Rozak felt Robert W. Gold-Smith’s “character and attitude [show] he is very likely to commit another crime, and the focal point of that crime would be [ex-wife] Victoria Smith.”
“He blames her for his problems and his present situation,” Rozak said.
The former couple was going through a contentious divorce when Gold-Smith allegedly punched her outside a courtroom in November 2010. That battery case still is pending, although the former bankruptcy attorney has admitted to the incident while representing himself during other case proceedings.
After Gold-Smith violated an order of protection, he was put in the county jail in March 2011 and offered Brian K. McDaniel $5,000 to kill Victoria Smith in October 2012, according to trial testimony. McDaniel was wearing a wire for Will County Sheriff’s Office investigators, and Gold-Smith subsequently was charged with solicitation of murder.
(Mike Frisch)