Office of Disciplinary Counsel v. Cunningham
Annotate this CaseJanuary 1998 Term
___________
No. 24892
___________
OFFICE OF DISCIPLINARY COUNSEL,
Petitioner,
v.
ABISHI CUNNINGHAM,
a suspended member of
The West Virginia State Bar,
Respondent.
________________________________________________________
Lawyer Disciplinary Proceeding
PETITION GRANTED;
LICENSE ANNULLED; RECEIVER ORDERED
________________________________________________________
Submitted: March 24, 1998
Filed: June 12, 1998
Steven Johnson Knopp,
Esq. Donald
Pitts, Esq.
Lawyer Disciplinary
Board Beckley,
West Virginia
Charleston, West
Virginia Attorney
for Respondent
Attorney for
Petitioner
The Opinion of the Court was delivered PER CURIAM.
SYLLABUS
1. This Court is
the final arbiter of legal ethics problems and must make the ultimate decisions about
public reprimands, suspensions or annulments of attorneys' licenses to practice law.
Syllabus Point 3, Committee on Legal Ethics v. Blair, 174 W.Va. 494, 327 S.E.2d 671
(1984).
Per Curiam:See footnote 1 1
In the instant case the petitioner
Office of Disciplinary Counsel ("ODC") asks this Court to find that Abishi C.
Cunningham ("respondent"), a suspended member of the West Virginia State Bar, is
in contempt of this Court's order indefinitely suspending his license to practice law,
because he continued to practice law from his office in Welch, West Virginia, after being
suspended. Further, pursuant to Rule 3.29 of the Rules of Lawyer Disciplinary Procedure,See footnote 2 2 the ODC asks that this
Court order the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of McDowell County, West Virginia, to
immediately appoint a lawyer to act as a receiver for the respondent. The ODC also
requests other additional relief as this Court may deem necessary and appropriate.
I.
This Court's decision in
Lawyer Disciplinary Board v. Cunningham, 195 W.Va. 27, 464 S.E.2d 181 (1995)
required the respondent to practice under supervision, in addition to other restrictions
and discipline.See footnote 3 3 Subsequently
the ODC filed a petition with this Court based upon the respondent's failure to comply
with his supervision plan. The respondent failed to respond to the petition.
On July 3, 1997, in Office of Lawyer
Disciplinary Counsel v. Cunningham, 200 W.Va. 339, 489 S.E.2d 496 (1997) this Court
suspended the respondent's license to practice law indefinitely. On or about August 4,
1997, respondent petitioned this Court to reconsider its decision. On September 3, 1997,
the respondent's petition for rehearing was denied.
The petitioner ODC has shown by affidavit
and transcript that on October 28, 1997, the respondent appeared before the West Virginia
Court of Claims and represented the interests of Luther Savage. The respondent contends
that on October 28, 1997, he was unaware of this Court's denial of his petition for
rehearing.
The petitioner has also
shown by affidavit (and the respondent has not replied to this charge) that on October 28,
1997 and December 3, 1997, an investigator for the ODC visited the respondent's law office
in Welch, West Virginia, to establish whether respondent had ceased the practice of law.
The investigator had reserved a date and time for the appointments by telephone calls to
the respondent's office, and discussed in person with respondent a potential legal
representation. A representation agreement resulted from the investigator's second visit
to the respondent's office.
II.
This Court is the final arbiter of legal
ethics problems and must make the ultimate decisions about public reprimands, suspensions
or annulments of attorneys' licenses to practice law. Syllabus Point 3, Committee on
Legal Ethics v. Blair, 174 W.Va. 494, 327 S.E.2d 671 (1984).
The foregoing clearly established factual
circumstances constitute the continuing practice of law by the respondent in violation of
this Court's order of suspension; these circumstances also demonstrate a potential for
harm to respondent's clients and the public. The respondent has served the legal needs of
his community for a half-century. He has in the past brought honor to himself, his
community, and his profession. Nevertheless, in light of respondent's historical repeated
failure to comply with remedial disciplinary measures, we must take the step of annulling
the respondent's license to practice law.
Rule 3.29 of the Rules
of Lawyer Disciplinary Procedure provides that this Court may authorize the chief
judge in the circuit where a lawyer whose license to practice law has been annulled
maintains his practice to appoint a lawyer to take necessary action to close out the
disciplined lawyer's law practice. The appointment of a receiver to protect the interest
of the respondent's clients and the public is necessary. The receiver's duties shall
include: to take custody of and secure respondent's law office and the premises and
contents thereof, and the telephone service to the premises and office; to provide for
interception of calls to respondent's office; to take custody of, inventory and preserve
the respondent's files related to his law practice, wherever located; to provide notice to
existing clients of the respondent's status and the clients' need for new counsel; to
provide notification to prospective clients of respondent's status; and to take all other
measures as are reasonably necessary to protect the interests of the public and the
respondent's clients.
III.
The petition is granted
and the respondent's license to practice law is annulled. Further, as provided for in Rule
3.29 of the Rules of Lawyer Disciplinary Procedure, the chief judge of the Circuit
Court of McDowell County shall appoint a receiver for the respondent's law practice.
Petition granted; license annulled; receiver ordered.
Footnote: 1 1 We point out that a per curiam opinion is not legal precedent. See Lieving v. Hadley, 188 W.Va. 197, 201 n.4, 423 S.E.2d 600, 604 n. 4 (1992).
Footnote: 2 2 Lawyer Disciplinary Rule 3.29
states:
When a lawyer has disappeared, died, or
has abandoned his or her law office or practice or has been suspended or disbarred and
there is evidence that the lawyer has not complied with Rule 3.28, and no partner,
executor, or other responsible party capable of conducting the lawyer's affairs is known
to exist, the Supreme Court of Appeals, upon written request by Disciplinary Counsel, may
authorize the chief judge in the circuit in which the lawyer maintained his or her
practice, to appoint a lawyer or lawyers to inventory the files of the disappeared,
deceased, abandoning, suspended, or disbarred lawyer and to take such action as seems
indicated to protect the interests of the lawyer and the lawyer's clients. Any lawyer so
appointed shall not be permitted to disclose any information contained in any files so
inventoried without the consent of the client to whom such file relates, except as
necessary to carry out the order of the court which appointed the lawyer to make such an
inventory.
Footnote: 3 3 This Court also previously reprimanded Mr. Cunningham for neglecting a legal matter in Committee of Legal Ethics v. Cunningham, No. 21717, July 8, 1993 (per curiam order).
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