Hazards Of Flying First Class

An associate attorney of a law firm was sent from Chicago to Santa Ana, California for a deposition. He obtained economy class reservations for the flight from O’Hare. At the self-service kiosk, he inadvertently upgraded to first class, resulting in an additional charge of $260.02. He then sought reimbursement for the additional amount and made false statements to his firm’s accounting department to get the money. Shortly thereafter, he admitted the false statements to a firm partner.

An Illinois hearing board has accepted a joint recommendation of the Administrator and the attorney and imposed a public reprimand for the misconduct. (Mike Frisch)