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NEW FILINGS,
HEARING SCHEDULES AND CLERK'S OFFICE Recent Disciplinary Decisions from Supreme Court | Recently Filed Complaints and Reports | Announcements | Schedule of Hearings | Clerk’s Office Services ANNOUNCEMENT OF DISCIPLINARY DECISIONS Wednesday, January 21, 2004 10:00 A.M. The Supreme Court of Illinois on Tuesday January 20, 2004 announced the filing of disciplinary orders involving a number of licensed lawyers. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law. Discipline ranged from reprimand to disbarment. The name of each disciplined lawyer, the address at which the lawyer last practiced, and a brief summary of the misconduct that led to the sanction, can be found in the attached material. The announcement of the orders may be reviewed at the Supreme Court of Illinois website: www.state.il.us/court. The Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC), an Illinois Supreme Court agency, investigates alleged wrongdoing by Illinois attorneys, holds hearings on specific charges, and recommends discipline where warranted. The Supreme Court is, however, the only authority that can discipline lawyers for misconduct. The Supreme Court generally announces lawyer sanction orders during each formal term of Court. The Court convenes in term every January, March, May, September and November. There are approximately 80,000 attorneys in Illinois. A yearly fee of $229 is imposed on Illinois lawyers and helps to fund the ARDC. There are no tax dollars used to support the disciplinary system. The ARDC is composed
of seven members, three of whom are non-lawyers.
Attorney Benedict Schwarz II is the Commission
Chairman. The
ARDC Administrator is Mary Robinson.
For additional information concerning these disciplinary orders contact:
James J. Grogan, Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission,
Chicago. 312-565-2600 or 1-800-826-8625 In
re GUY JOSEPH BACCI III, Attorney
Number 88447 File
information: M.R. 18841, 00 CH 23
Mr. Bacci, who was licensed in 1975, was disbarred on
consent. He pled
guilty to the theft of $755,000 after he settled an elderly
couple’s personal injury case without the clients’
knowledge and misappropriated the proceeds. Suspended on an
interim basis since June 2, 2003, he is now serving an
eight-year prison sentence.
In
re ADAM D. BOURGEOIS Jr., Attorney
Number 3125990 File
Information: M. R. 19087, 01 CH 97
Mr. Bourgeois, who was licensed in 1980, was suspended
for two months. He gave false answers to five questions on his
successful 1999 application for an associate Cook County
judgeship.
In
re JOEL ALAN BRODSKY, Attorney Number 6182556 File
Information: M. R. 19007, 01 CH 42
Mr. Brodsky, who was licensed in 1982, was suspended for three months. In order to close a probate estate’s bank account and receive the funds, he signed the dead executor’s name to bank documents needed to release the funds. In
re WES COWELL, Attorney
Number 6206729 File Information: M.R. 19082, 03
CH 22
Mr. Cowell, who was licensed in 1991, was suspended for one
year and until further order of Court, with all but the first
sixty days of the suspension stayed by a two-year period of
probation. He
mismanaged $10,279.52 in funds belonging to his clients, his
clients’ spouses, and a third party.
In re CARL FRANKLIN DIXON,
Attorney Number 644285 File
Information: M.R. 19119, 03 CH 107
Mr.
Dixon, who was licensed in 1975, was disbarred on consent. He embezzled
approximately $332,500 from the Kidney Cancer Association, a
charity of which he was President and Chief Executive Officer.
In re JOSEPH LEE DOMBROWSKI,
Attorney Number 652539 File
Information: M.R. 19078, 01 CH 57
Mr. Dombrowski, who was
licensed in 1966, was suspended for three years. He was
involved in at least fourteen wrongful death cases where the
clients were improperly solicited or referred to him.
Eight of the clients were solicited or recommended by
funeral directors who had provided funeral services and who
had solicited relatives of the victims.
Five of the clients were solicited or referred by an
employee in the intake division of the Cook County Medical
Examiner’s Office.
In
re JAY DAVID FREIDIN, Attorney Number 874795 File
Information: M.R. 19164, 02 CH 113
Mr.
Freidin, who was licensed in 1975, was suspended for 60 days
and until further order of Court, with the suspension stayed
in its entirety pending completion of a one-year period of
probation with conditions. He neglected a dissolution of
marriage case and a child support case, was convicted of three
DUI’s, and initially failed to cooperate with the
disciplinary investigations.
In
re TANYA M. GIBSON, Attorney
Number 6237160 File Number: M.R. 19083, 02 CH
105
Ms. Gibson, who was licensed in 1996, was suspended for
six months and until she
successfully completes a course conducted by the Illinois
Professional Responsibility Institute and makes certain
restitution to one of her former clients.
She neglected three client matters and converted funds
that should have been used to pay filing fees and court costs.
In
re GEORGE B. GILLESPIE, Attorney Number 958441 File
Number: M.R. 19139, 03 SH 111
Mr. Gillespie, who was
licensed in 1952, was suspended for two years and until he
makes certain restitution. He converted a fee of $126,000 that
he should have turned over to his law firm. He also concealed
the receipt of the fee from another attorney with whom he had
originally agreed to share the fee.
In
re PAUL M. GOLDMAN, Attorney Number 6185554 File
Information: M. R.19089, 02 CH 54
Mr. Goldman, who was licensed in 1983, was suspended for one year and until further order of Court. He neglected two civil matters, made misrepresentations to clients, obtained an unreasonable fee, and failed to cooperate with the disciplinary investigation. He was suspended in January 2002 for similar misconduct. In re DIANE ELAINE
GREANIAS, Attorney
Number 3127969 File
Number: M.R. 19079, 01 SH 117
Ms.
Greanias, who was licensed in 1980, was suspended for two
years and until further order of Court.
She filed numerous pleadings in which she falsely
accused opponents and Industrial Commission representatives of
dishonest conduct and fraud.
In
re MICHAEL PAUL GREENWALD, Attorney
Number 3125644 File
Number: M.R. 19085, 03 CH 38
Mr.
Greenwald, who was licensed in 1979, was suspended for 60
days. He
mismanaged $3,476.92 of client and third party funds relating to a
personal injury settlement.
In
re JIMMIE L. JONES, Attorney Number 6198837 File
Information: M.R. 19160, 00 CH 40
Mr. Jones, who was
licensed in 1988, was suspended for thirty days and is
required to complete a law office management course. He
neglected a criminal appeal.
In
re DONALD W. LEE, Attorney Number 6212140 File
Information: M.R. 19136, 03 CH 17
Mr. Lee, who was licensed
in 1993, was disbarred. He was convicted in federal court of
bankruptcy fraud. He was sentenced to a period of probation of
five years with a six-month period of home confinement with
electronic monitoring. He was further ordered to pay
restitution and fines of $1,000, and he must complete 200
hours of community service.
In
re JAMES ANTHONY MALONEY, Attorney
Number 6209402 File
Information: M. R.19163, 03 DC 1012
Mr.
Maloney, who was licensed in 1992, was disbarred on consent.
He misappropriated $39,016 in funds that he received in
connection with his representation of three separate clients,
neglected other matters, provided two of his clients with a
false document intended to cover up his inattention to their
injury claims, failed to return an unearned fee, and had a
sexual relationship with a woman while representing her in
child custody cases.
In
re BRENT CHARLES MILLER, Attorney
Number 6195040 File
Information: M.R. 19138, 03 RC 1514
Mr.
Miller was licensed in Illinois in 1987 and in Florida in the
following year. The Supreme Court of Florida directed that he
be admonished and placed him on probation for one year with
various conditions, including that he submit to an analysis of
his office management and record keeping procedures.
He did not properly supervise his office staff and had
failed to maintain contact with clients. The Illinois Supreme
Court imposed reciprocal discipline by reprimanding him and
placing him on probation for one year subject to the
conditions of his Florida probation.
In
re EDWARD BURDETTE MILLER, Attorney
Number 1911325 File
Number: M.R. 19084, 02 CH 69
Mr. Miller, who was licensed in 1978, was suspended for
three years and until further order of Court.
He neglected twelve
client civil matters, made misrepresentations to the clients
and a referring attorney about the status of those matters,
improperly settled a malpractice claim, and provided false
settlement statements to two clients.
In
re ANTHONY IRBY MOREE, Attorney
Number 6191089 File
Number: M.R. 19146, 02 CH 96
Mr. Moree, who was licensed in 1985, was suspended for 18
months, with all but the first three months of the suspension
stayed by a two-year period of probation. He mismanaged
approximately $9,500 of real estate escrow funds and he
delivered two NSF checks totaling $1,000 to a client.
In
re THOMAS FREDERICK NEDDERMAN, File
Information: M.R. 19108, 02 CH 9
Mr. Nedderman, who was licensed in 1969, was suspended for
three years and until further order of Court.
He misappropriated about $209,000 in settlement funds
from multiple clients and misled clients and claimants about
his handling of settlement funds.
In
re JAMES SAINT SATHER, Attorney Number 3123607 File
Information: M.R. 18932, 03 CH 72
Mr.
Sather, who was licensed in 1979, was disbarred on consent. He
was convicted in the Circuit Court of DuPage County for
theft of more than $100,000.00. He was suspended on an interim
basis on October 15, 2003, while
serving a suspension for other misconduct.
In
re MICHAEL E. TABOR, Attorney Number 6182923 File
Information: M.R. 19133, 02 CH 95
Mr. Tabor, who was licensed in 1982, was suspended for three months and until further order of the Court. He neglected a collection case that was entrusted to him and failed to cooperate with disciplinary authorities.
In
re WILLIAM NELSON TWOHEY, Attorney
Number 2871564 File
Information: M.R. 19080, 01 SH 50
Mr. Twohey, who was
licensed in 1967, was suspended for one year and until he pays
certain restitution. He took an unreasonable fee in a probate
matter and breached his fiduciary duties to the estate.
In re MICHAEL EUGENE VLAHAKIS,
Attorney Number 6190547 File
Information: M.R. 19057, 01 CH 35 Mr.
Vlahakis, who was licensed in 1985, was censured. He shared
fees with non-lawyers by delegating the management of his law
practice finances to a non-lawyer who then took a portion of
his fees for herself and a portion for the company that
managed his office suite.
THE
FOLLOWING DISCIPLINARY ORDERS WERE ENTERED BY THE COURT BEFORE
THE JANUARY TERM BUT WERE NOT INCLUDED IN ANY PREVIOUS
INFORMATION RELEASE:
In
re ROBERT J. EMERY, Attorney Number 6184876 File Information: M.R.18944, o2 CH 101, 03 CH 39 Order
entered December 4, 2003
Mr. Emery, who was
licensed in 1983, was suspended on an interim basis and until
further order of Court. An ARDC Hearing Board earlier
recommended that he be disbarred for misappropriating
$27,938.21 from a client. While the disciplinary proceeding
was pending, additional public charges were filed, this time
alleging that he had converted $42,808.18 from another client.
In
re MARY ELIZABETH GORECKI, Attorney Number 6208279 File Information: Supreme Court No. 96299, 01 CH 9 Opinion
Filed November 20, 2003
Ms. Gorecki, who was
licensed in 1991, was suspended for four months, effective
February 1, 2004. She left a series of messages on a telephone
answering machine of a friend stating or implying that she had
the ability to influence a public official if bribe money was
paid to that official.
In
re THOMAS MURPHY HESTER, Attorney Number 6207078 File Information: M.R. 17596, 01 CH 37 Order
entered November 21, 2003
Mr. Hester, who was licensed to practice in 1991, was suspended for three years in 2002, with the suspension stayed after eighteen months by a period of probation with conditions. He mishandled a total of approximately $72,000 in client funds from eight different clients because he did not maintain a client trust fund account. He served his suspension and began probation, but he never complied with Illinois Supreme Court Rule 764, a rule that places specific obligations on disciplined lawyers. His probation was stayed and he was suspended until he complies with Rule 764 and until further order of Court.
In
re WILLIAM SINCLAIR SCHILDMAN, File
Information: M.R. 18905, 00 SH 60 Order
entered November 20, 2003 Mr. Schildman, who was licensed in 1969, was suspended for two years and until further order of the Court, with restitution in the amount of $1,820. He continued to practice law after he was previously suspended for professional misconduct, engaged in a conflict of interest, failed to return unearned fees, and engaged in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.
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