In re Admin. Actions

Ohio Supreme Court December 18, 2018

In re Admin. Actions, 113 N.E.3d 556 (Ohio 2018)

2018 Ohio 5054; 154 Ohio St. 3d 1449

Opinion of the Court

CONTINUING-LEGAL-EDUCATION MATTERS

Gov.Bar R. X(3) requires all attorneys admitted to the practice of law in Ohio and each attorney registered for corporate status pursuant to Gov.Bar R. VI to complete at least 24 hours of continuing legal education ("CLE"), including two and a half hours related to professional conduct, for each two-year compliance period. Gov.Bar R. X(4) requires attorneys whose last names begin with a letter from A through L to complete the CLE requirements of Gov.Bar R. X on or before December 31 of each odd-numbered year. Gov.Bar R. X(18)(A) provides that an attorney or judge who fails to comply timely with the applicable requirements of Gov.Bar R. X or Gov.Jud.R. IV but does so within 90 days of the December 31 deadline shall be assessed a late fee in accordance with CLE Reg. 503. Gov.Bar R. X(18)(B) provides that an attorney or judge who fails to comply with the applicable requirements of Gov.Bar R. X or Gov.Jud.R. IV shall be notified of noncompliance by the Commission on Continuing Legal Education and that unless the attorney or judge comes into compliance or files evidence of compliance that is satisfactory to the commission on or before the date set forth in the notice, the commission shall issue an order imposing a sanction authorized by Gov.Bar R. X(17) and consistent with CLE Reg. 503.

On December 14, 2018, the commission sanctioned 248 attorneys for noncompliance with the provisions of Gov.Bar R. X. The following attorneys were issued a monetary sanction for not completing the educational hours required by Gov.Bar R. X(3) and not filing evidence of compliance or coming into compliance as required by Gov.Bar R. X(18)(A). The sanction amount displayed in the last column is based on the number and the type of hour deficiency.

Name

Attorney Number

State

Amount

Joseph Anthony Benavidez0042447$ 75.00

Allen

Ashland

Belmont

Brown

Norbert Mark Doellman Jr.0002122Butler$225.00

James Allen Berry0024082Clark$150.00

Clermont

Theodore Alexander Amata0065658Cuyahoga$ 75.00

Joseph Bancsi0025450Cuyahoga$150.00

Autumn Basil0065790Cuyahoga$ 75.00

0010238Cuyahoga$225.00

Stanley Bennett

Robert Jerome Berk0001031Cuyahoga$ 75.00

Charles Steven Butler0024316Cuyahoga$ 75.00

Liam Joseph Dunn0092488Cuyahoga$ 75.00

Timothy Paul Haffey0041438Cuyahoga$ 75.00

Gladys Elaine Harrison0016051Cuyahoga$ 75.00

Nathan John Hudak0081666Cuyahoga$ 75.00

Teresa James0031671Cuyahoga$ 75.00

Gary Howard Levine0025993Cuyahoga$150.00

Delaware

James Henry Klein0006857$ 75.00

Delaware

Erie

Fairfield

Franklin

Christopher Joseph Allwein0084914$ 75.00

Franklin

Jack C. Butler0024463$ 75.00

Franklin

Nicholas Andrew Horn0092096$150.00

Franklin

Stanley Jerome Aronoff0011694Hamilton$ 75.00

Caleb Brown Jr.0020678Hamilton$ 75.00

Harold Sol Freeman0012709Hamilton$150.00

Jerome Janson Grogan0076029Hamilton$ 75.00

James Albert Higgins0021127Hamilton$ 75.00

Hocking

Lake

Paul Brickner0026246$150.00

Lake

Alfred Vincent Lucas0027737$ 75.00

Lake

Terrence Franklin Cloonan0017262$ 75.00

Mahoning

Donald Patrick Leone0000154$ 75.00

Mahoning

Medina

Montgomery

Christopher Brady Coulles0089783$ 75.00

Montgomery

Gregory Patrick Garner

Montgomery

Caitlin Elizabeth Lanning0090718$ 75.00

Montgomery

Ottawa

Charles Ray Burns0051963$225.00

Ottawa

Errol Anthony Can

Portage

Duane Lynn Doyle0034042$150.00

Portage

Seneca

Stark

Colleen Marie Bonk0067165$ 75.00

Summit

Melissa Renea Cox0071461$ 75.00

Summit

Michael David Esposito0077221$ 75.00

Summit

Bruce Richard Freedman0023864$ 75.00

Summit

Ruth Ann Gibson0004701$ 75.00

Summit

Jeffery Allen Kaleda0069149$ 75.00

Summit

John Peter Lazar0009760$ 75.00

Summit

Douglas Glenn Leak0045554$ 75.00

Summit

James Martin Brutz0011144$ 75.00

Trumbull

William George Fowler0005254Warren$ 75.00

0071311Warren$150.00

Andrew Paul George

Anthony Britt0037891FL$225.00

Brad Aaron Catlin0083342$ 75.00

David Edgar Davidson0016543KY$ 75.00

Laurie Bilz Dowell0041208KY$225.00

Christopher Allen Griffin0076991KY$ 75.00

Bryan Cermak0037114$225.00

Ari Matthew Charlip0093185$ 75.00

Sean Alexander Cooke0088999$ 75.00

Adam Grant Anderson

Vicki Lee Doster0055693$300.00

Wilbert Byrd0011315$225.00

On December 14, 2018, the Commission on Continuing Legal Education issued orders imposing monetary sanctions and suspending 39 attorneys for noncompliance with the provisions of Gov.Bar R. X. The following attorneys were sanctioned and suspended for not completing the educational hours required by Gov.Bar R. X(3) and not filing evidence of compliance or coming into compliance as required by Gov.Bar R. X(18)(A). The attorneys were also out of compliance with Gov.Bar R. X for the 2014 and 2016 compliance periods. The sanction amount as displayed in the last column is based on the number and the type of hour deficiency.

Name

Attorney Number

State

Amount

Delaware

Lorain

Hui Li82661$300.00

Montgomery

Jason Robert Gilbert74044KY$300.00

The following attorneys were sanctioned and suspended for not completing the hours required by Gov.Bar R. X(3) and not filing evidence of compliance or coming into compliance as required by Gov.Bar R. X(18)(A).

The attorneys also have not paid prior commission-ordered sanctions issued for noncompliance in the 2016 compliance period. The sanction amount as displayed in the last column is based on the number and the type of hour deficiency.

Name

Attorney Number

State

Amount

Alex Jovanovic21469Cuyahoga$300.00

Franklin

19584$300.00

Mark John Barrett

Franklin

Licking

31903$300.00

Norman George

Montgomery

Stark

Summit

Trumbull

Mark Allen Dunn63922$300.00

Stephany T. Jackson88952$300.00

Gov.Bar R. X(9)(A) and 14(A) require attorneys newly admitted to the practice of law in Ohio and attorneys newly registered for corporate status pursuant to Gov.Bar R. VI, during their first biennial compliance period, to complete at least 12 hours of new-lawyers-training instruction, including one hour each of professionalism, law-office management, and client-fund management, and nine hours of instruction in one or more substantive-law topics that focus on handling legal matters in specific practice areas. Gov.Bar R. X(4) requires attorneys whose last names begin with a letter from M through Z to comply with the requirements of Gov.Bar R. X on or before December 31 of even-numbered years. Gov.Bar R. X(18)(A) provides that an attorney or judge who fails to comply timely with the applicable requirements of Gov.Bar R. X or Gov.Jud.R. IV but does so within 90 days of the December 31 deadline shall be assessed a late-compliance fee, as established by the commission. Gov.Bar R. X(18)(B) provides that an attorney or judge who fails to comply with the applicable requirements of Gov.Bar R. X or Gov.Jud.R. IV shall be notified of noncompliance by the commission and that unless the attorney or judge comes into compliance or files evidence of compliance that is satisfactory to the commission on or before the date set forth in the notice, the commission shall issue an order imposing a sanction authorized by Gov.Bar R. X(17) and consistent with CLE Reg. 503.

The following attorneys were sanctioned and suspended for not completing the new-lawyers-training requirement as required by Gov.Bar R. X(9)(A) and (14)(A) and not filing evidence of compliance or coming into compliance as required by Gov.Bar R. X(18)(A).

Name

Attorney Number

State

Franklin

Reference

Full Case Name: ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS
Status: Published