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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, March 22, 2006 10:00 A.M. LAWYER DISCIPLINARY ORDERS INFORMATION RELEASE The Supreme Court of Illinois on Monday, March 20, 2006 and on Tuesday March 21, 2006, 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. The attached list contains 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. 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 over 80,000 attorneys in Illinois. A yearly fee of $239 is imposed on most 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. In re GARY DAVID
ABRAMS, Attorney Number 5010 File Information: M.R. 20676, 04 CH 132 Mr. Abrams, who was licensed in 1977, was censured. He mismanaged $1,706.20 in client funds that he was holding on behalf of a client and failed to keep the client informed regarding the status of the client’s legal matter. In re LEWIS
STANTON DOTSON, Attorney Number 663867 File information: M.R. 20718, 03 SH 110 Mr. Dotson, who was licensed in 1964, was suspended for one year. He made inappropriate sexual advances to a client’s girlfriend who came to his office to pick up some documents and, on two other occasions, to women who visited his office to consult about legal matters. The discipline is effective upon the conclusion of a current suspension for unrelated misconduct, April 8, 2006. In re GERRY ALAN
ESS, ATTORNEY NUMBER 6224875 File Information: M.R. 20675, 04 SH 145 Mr. Ess, who was licensed to practice law in 1994, was disbarred. He misappropriated at least $21,000 from four clients in separate matters, mismanaged other client funds, and testified falsely during the course of his disciplinary hearing. In re DAVID
JEROME FEELEY, Attorney Number 781576 File information: M.R. 20740, 03 CH 78 Mr. Feeley, who was licensed in 1971, was suspended for three years. He mismanaged funds belonging to five different clients over a period of several years. The suspension is effective on April 11, 2006. In re SHARRAN
GREENBERG, Attorney Number 6187115 File Information: M.R. 20776, 05 CH 26 Ms. Greenberg, who was licensed in 1984, was censured for failing to disclose to a client that she had a financial interest in the sale of certain title insurance to the client relating to the client’s sale of real property. She also initially failed to cooperate in the disciplinary investigation. In re LINDA SUE
GROEZINGER, Attorney Number 6257910 File Information: M.R. 20606, 04 SH 143 Ms. Groezinger, who was licensed in 1999, was suspended for one year. After she learned that she faced a malpractice action because of a statute of limitations problem in a personal injury case in which she was co-counsel, she falsely denied to the opposing counsel, and in discovery answers, that she had represented the plaintiff. She then manufactured a retainer agreement to support her false denial. Further, she was not candid during the course of the disciplinary investigation. The suspension is effective on April 10, 2006. In re THOMAS
EARL HILDEBRAND Jr., File information: M.R. 20213, 04 SH 52 Mr. Hildebrand, who was licensed in 1976, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court. While representing a client in a felony case, he communicated with a witness who was represented by the public defender without the public defender’s prior consent. While the felony case was pending, he became the witness’ attorney in her own felony case, thus engaging in a conflict of interest because the witness would likely testify against his other client. He was on disciplinary probation for having engaged in a similar conflict of interest at the time that he engaged in the recent misconduct. In re LARRY W.
HOPT, Attorney Number 1259466 File information: M.R. 20611, 05 RC 1515 Mr. Hopt was licensed in Illinois in 1977 and in Washington in 1982. The Washington Supreme Court suspended him for three years for neglecting a client matter, failing to communicate with the client, failing to segregate client funds, and not refunding unearned fees. The Illinois Supreme Court imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for three years. In re Larry
Steven Kertz, Attorney Number 1451847 File Information, M.R. 20777, 04 CH 94 Mr. Kertz, who was licensed in 1977, was censured. He falsely advised a client that the client’s case had settled. He then paid $10,000 of his own money to the client, representing to the client that the funds were the client’s purported share of the settlement proceeds. In re RICHARD
FREDRICK KURTH, Attorney Number 1550659 File Information: M.R. 20684, 05 SH 80 Mr. Kurth, who was licensed in 1977, was suspended for three years. He misappropriated funds that he had deposited in his client trust account in connection with five different client matters. The suspension is effective on April 11, 2006. In re STEVEN L.
LOREN, Attorney Number 6184341 File Information: M.R. 20703, 06 DC 1001 Mr. Loren, who was licensed in 1983, was disbarred on consent. While serving as counsel to the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System, he prepared sham contracts designed to make kickbacks appear to be legitimate business payments. He later pled guilty to federal charges of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede the due administration of the internal revenue laws. In re WADE
FRANKLIN MORRIS, Sr., Attorney Number 6217606 File information: M.R. 20753, 02 CH 48 Wade Morris, who was licensed in 1993, was suspended for nine months. He engaged in sexual relationships with two female clients, one whom he represented in a post-decree matter and one whom he represented in his capacity as an assistant public defender. The suspension is effective on April 11, 2006. In re WILLIAM
CHARLES PETERMAN, File information: M.R. 20735, 05 CH 31 Mr. Peterman, who was licensed in 1973, was disbarred. He forged a client’s signature to a letter that purported to direct a title company to deliver approximately $950,000 of the client’s money to him, and he then misappropriated the money. He also converted $135,000 in earnest money he was supposed to hold in connection with a separate client’s purchase of a building in Chicago. In re DANIEL
ROBERT SANDERS, Attorney Number 6225995 File Information: M.R. 20769, 03 CH 122 Mr. Sanders, who was licensed in 1994, was suspended for ninety days and until further order of the Court, with the entire suspension stayed pending completion of a two-year period of probation with conditions. He neglected two habeas corpus petitions on behalf of two separate clients, an expungement matter on behalf of a third client and failed initially to cooperate with the Administrator’s investigation into two of those matters. In re DAVID
SOTOMAYOR, Attorney Number 6192360 File information: M.R. 20716, 04 CH 112 Mr. Sotomayor, who was licensed in 1986, was suspended for three years and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed after one year pending completion of a two-year period of probation with conditions. He arranged the sale of cannabis to a client and an undercover law enforcement officer. The suspension is effective on April 11, 2006. In re CHRISTOPHER
JOHN WHEATON, File information: M.R. 20663, 02 CH 59 Mr. Wheaton, who was licensed in 1990, was suspended for ninety days and until he makes certain restitution. He told four different prison inmates or their families that he could obtain work release for them because of his access to a corrections official. He did not tell his clients that his services consisted entirely of making, at most, a few short telephone calls to the official’s office to ask the official’s secretary to check on work release availability for an inmate. When his clients sought information about their matters, he falsely told them that he had traveled to Springfield numerous times and "presented" their cases to the official. The suspension is effective on April 10, 2006. The Following Disciplinary Orders Were Entered By The Court Before The March 2006 Term But Were Not Included In Any Previous Information Release In re JAY DAVID
FREIDIN, Attorney Number 874795 File information: M.R. 19164, 02 CH 103 (Order entered on February 7, 2006) Mr. Freidin, who was licensed in 1975, was suspended in 2004 for sixty days and until further order of the 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. Because he failed to comply with certain terms of his probation regarding sobriety, the probation was vacated and he was suspended for sixty days and until further order of Court. In re ALAN ARTHUR
LOIBEN, Attorney Number 1685236 File Information: M.R. 20635 (Order entered on January 30, 2006) Mr. Loiben, who was licensed in 1973, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court. Formal charges are pending against him before an ARDC hearing panel alleging that he misappropriated over $185,000 from four separate clients and then lied to the clients to conceal the conversions. In re MARK HATLEN
MENNES, Attorney Number 1886746 File information: M.R. 19442, 03 CH 25 (Order entered on January 27, 2006) Mr. Mennes, who was licensed in 1974, was suspended in 2004 for two years and until further order of the Court, with all but the first year of the suspension stayed by probation subject to the conditions. He neglected a workers’ compensation matter, initially failed to cooperate with the disciplinary investigation, and engaged in an improper loan transaction between elderly clients and his adult son. Because he failed to comply with certain terms of his probation regarding sobriety, he was suspended for the remaining one-year period of his suspension and until further order of the Court. In re PETER
ANGELO PALIVOS, Attorney Number 6184449 File Information: M.R. 20608, 05 CH 0109 (Order Entered on January 31, 2006) Mr. Palivos, who was licensed in 1983, was suspended an interim basis and until further order of the Court. He was convicted in the United District Court for the Northern District of Illinois of conspiracy to obstruct justice in a federal investigation into the sale of a restaurant of which he was a part owner. In re MICHAEL
SEGAL, Attorney Number 2542234 File Information: M.R. 20561, 05 ML 6017 (Order Entered on January 23, 2006) Mr. Segal, who was licensed in 1968, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court. He was convicted in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, racketeering, embezzlement, tax conspiracy and making false statements to various governmental agencies, all related to his role as the owner, director, chief executive officer and chief operating officer of Near North National Group. |