Board of Attorneys Professional Responsibility v. Woodard
Board of Attorneys Professional Responsibility v. Woodard
Opinion of the Court
¶ 1. We review the report and recommendation of the referee, Lisa C. Goldman, that the license of Attorney Stanley V. Woodard to practice law in Wisconsin should be reinstated with certain specified conditions.
¶ 3. The following facts are taken from the referee's report. No party has alleged that any of these factual findings are erroneous.
¶ 4. Attorney Woodard was admitted to the practice of law in Wisconsin in 1977. He held a number of different positions during the time that he possessed an active license to practice law. He was a staff attorney for Legal Action of Wisconsin, a staff attorney with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and an assistant
¶ 5. Attorney Woodard has an extensive disciplinary history that includes six separate impositions of public discipline over an 11-year period.
¶ 6. Attorney Woodard's first disciplinary matters resulted in public reprimands in 1985 and 1986 for neglecting client matters, failing to respond promptly to requests for information from the Board of Attorneys Professional Responsibility (BAPR), the predecessor to the Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR); failing to deposit client funds in a trust account; and misrepresenting the location of those client funds.
¶ 7. In 1989 Attorney Woodard's license was suspended for a period of 60 days due to his failure to file income tax returns and his failure to respond to inquiries from BAPR and the Department of Revenue. In re Disciplinary Proceedings Against Woodard, 150 Wis. 2d 594, 441 N.W.2d 750 (1989).
¶ 8. In 1994 this court suspended Attorney Woodard's license for three years. His misconduct in that case involved five separate clients and stemmed from (1) assisting the girlfriend of a client to violate the terms of the girlfriend's probation by delivering two packages from the girlfriend to the client in jail, one of which contained dangerous, banned material; (2) failing to attend to client matters; (3) failing to prepare for trial; (4) failing to act with diligence; (5) failing to keep a client properly informed; (6) failing to return a client's file upon request; (7) failing to refund unearned fees; (8) failing to appear at scheduled court hearings in three criminal matters; and (9) failing to cooperate with
¶ 9. This court imposed another one-year suspension in 1995 for Attorney Woodard's misconduct in two more representations. His misconduct in those matters included failing to return a client's file, failing to refund unearned fees, failing to communicate with a client about not pursuing a criminal sentencing matter and not refunding a portion of the fees, and failing to communicate with BAPR in response to its investigations. In re Disciplinary Proceedings Against Woodard, 190 Wis. 2d 487, 526 N.W.2d 510 (1995).
¶ 10. After Attorney Woodard stated that he could not successfully defend against BAPR's allegations of additional misconduct, this court granted Attorney Woodard's petition for the consensual revocation of his
¶ 11. Since the revocation of his law license, Attorney Woodard has worked in a number of jobs. He has taught at a local college, worked for the Boys and Girls Club, and worked for the University of Wisconsin. His second most-recent position was with the University of Wisconsin Family Voices program, where he worked for three years. His current position is the program director for the Lussier Community Education Center in Madison. He has also volunteered with a number of community organizations.
¶ 12. The referee's report discussed a number of issues and concerns regarding Attorney Woodard's reinstatement to the practice of law in this state. She noted that having a license to practice law is a privilege that demands behavior above reproach so that an attorney can be trusted and respected by members of the community. She pointed out that Attorney Woodard's prior conduct had not met that standard, as he had engaged in "dishonest, arrogant and criminal behavior." Specifically, she noted that Attorney Woodard had on multiple occasions taken money that did not belong to him and had refused to have meaningful discussions with his clients regarding financial issues. Moreover, Attorney Woodard had abused his special status as an attorney to gain access to inmates in the
¶ 13. The referee contrasted the conduct that resulted in Attorney Woodard's multiple suspensions and revocation with his conduct since the revocation of his law license in 1996. She stated that since that time Attorney Woodard "has engaged in many activities that show a genuine desire to live a life demonstrated by good conduct." He has maintained steady employment to contribute to his family's income. He has also excelled as a volunteer for various causes. Indeed, the referee noted that Attorney Woodard had received awards from a number of volunteer and community organizations, including, among others, the American Red Cross, the Madison Urban Ministry, the NAACB and the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. In addition, Attorney Woodard submitted a host of letters from other lawyers and members of the community that spoke highly of his legal abilities and his volunteer contributions.
¶ 14. The referee also addressed a couple of concerns raised by the Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) and her own consideration of the matter. First, the referee noted that Attorney Woodard had faced the need to repay multiple debts stemming from his actions prior to the revocation of his law license and otherwise.
¶ 15. Although this court's prior disciplinary orders did not expressly require Attorney Woodard to pay restitution, there were three former clients to whom Attorney Woodard owed money. The referee found that two of the clients had forgiven Attorney Woodard's debts. One such client even spoke at the public hearing in favor of the reinstatement of Attorney Woodard's license.
¶ 16. The third former client, R.F., had apparently not forgiven Attorney Woodard's debt nor had Attorney Woodard repaid the debt to R.F. prior to seeking rein
¶ 17. The referee also discussed the condition on Attorney Woodard's reinstatement set forth in this court's 1994 suspension order. Specifically, this court ruled that in order to have his license reinstated, Attorney Woodard needed to "establish that he no longer suffers from the medical incapacity" he asserted in that disciplinary proceeding (depression and dysthymia). The referee properly stated that Attorney Woodard bore the burden to prove this fact by clear, satisfactory, and convincing evidence.
¶ 18. The referee noted that Attorney Woodard had presented only a single letter from a social worker, which stated that Attorney Woodard no longer suffers from depression or dysthymia to a degree which would render him incapable of performing the duties of an attorney. The referee concluded that Attorney Woodard
¶ 19. Ultimately, after considering the documentary materials in the reinstatement file and the testimony submitted at the reinstatement hearing, the referee concluded that Attorney Woodard had complied with each of this court's prior disciplinary orders and the requirements imposed by SCR 22.26 on individuals whose licenses to practice law in Wisconsin have been suspended or revoked. The referee further concluded
¶ 20. Although the referee recommended that Attorney Woodard's license to practice law in this state be reinstated, she also recommended that three conditions be imposed on his return to the practice of law. First, she recommended that Attorney Woodard be required to contact the State Bar's Wisconsin Lawyers Assistance Program (WisLAP) and obtain a mentor attorney to assist him for the first two years following reinstatement.
¶ 21. Second, she suggested that Attorney Woodard be required to obtain further continuing legal education regarding appropriate fee agreements and the requirements for maintaining a client trust account. She noted that many of the trust account rules have changed significantly since Attorney Woodard last practiced law. Since this was an area in which Attorney Woodard previously failed to meet his requirements, she believed that such required education would be appropriate to protect the public from "negligent office management mistakes."
¶ 22. Finally, the referee recommended that Attorney Woodard be required to provide quarterly trust account and business accounting records to the OLR for a period of two years. These records should show what advance fees Attorney Woodard has received and where such client funds were deposited. The records to be provided should also include copies of Attorney Woodard's fee agreements with all of his privately retained clients.
¶ 23. The standards for our review of reinstatement proceedings are similar to the standards we use for reviewing referee reports in disciplinary proceed
¶ 24. As noted above, neither party has challenged the referee's factual findings, legal conclusions, or recommendation. After thoroughly reviewing this matter, we accept the referee's findings of fact. There is no dispute regarding generally what has occurred since the revocation of Attorney Woodard's license to practice law in Wisconsin in 1996. The evidence submitted shows that Attorney Woodard has been a productive member of the community and has engaged in extensive volunteer work.
¶ 25. We do find it necessary, however, to address two portions of the referee's report. First, in our 1994 decision suspending Attorney Woodard's license for three years, we did not transform that disciplinary proceeding into a medical incapacity proceeding, but we did condition the reinstatement of Attorney Woodard's license to practice law in Wisconsin on his demonstration that he no longer suffers from the medical incapacity (depression and dysthymia) he alleged in that proceeding. Attorney Woodard's license has never been reinstated since the time of that 1994 decision. Thus, he was required to satisfy that condition in this reinstatement proceeding.
¶ 26. The referee questioned whether Attorney Woodard's evidence was sufficient to satisfy this condi
¶ 27. We need not decide whether a social worker is qualified to render an opinion regarding the presence or absence of medical/psychological conditions such as depression or dysthymia, and the impact of such conditions on an individual's ability to practice law. Here, the OLR did not object to the referee's reliance on the social worker's opinion and conceded that Attorney Woodard had satisfied the condition, in part by the evidence of his holding responsible employment positions since the time of his suspension and subsequent revocation. Moreover, the OLR did not appeal from the referee's report and recommendation. Thus, given the OLR's concession, we conclude that Attorney Woodard has sufficiently demonstrated that he no longer suffers from the medical/psychological conditions he raised as a potential basis for incapacity in the 1994 disciplinary proceeding.
¶ 28. The second item we address is Attorney Woodard's debt to his former client R.F. R.F. was a grievant in one of Attorney Woodard's prior disciplinary proceedings. See In re Disciplinary Proceedings Against Woodard, 190 Wis. 2d at 490-92. In that proceeding, Attorney Woodard and BAPR stipulated that R.F. had paid $3,000 to Attorney Woodard. There was, however, a disagreement as to what the $3,000 was supposed to cover. R.F. believed that the $3,000 was a flat fee that
¶ 29. Whether or not a restitution obligation is explicitly imposed in a disciplinary opinion and order, SCR 22.29(4m) requires that an attorney petitioning for reinstatement must show by clear and convincing evidence that the attorney has made restitution to or settled the claims of all persons who were injured or harmed by the attorney's misconduct, or to provide an explanation for the failure to do so.
¶ 30. Here the referee found that there was a minimum debt of $1,500 owed by Attorney Woodard to R.F. This is supported by Attorney Woodard's acknowledgement at the reinstatement hearing that he did receive $1,500 from R.F., that he never pursued an appeal on R.F.'s behalf, and that he owed R.F. $1,500. On the other hand, Attorney Woodard testified at the reinstatement hearing that he disputed R.F.'s claims that Attorney Woodard had received more than $1,500 and still owed him anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500. Attorney Woodard claimed that he had received only
¶ 31. In any event, rather than return even the $1,500 that he had admittedly received from R.F. and owed to him or make arrangements to pay that amount over time, Attorney Woodard attempted to avoid paying a large portion of the debt by sending a $500 partial payment to R.F. with a notation on the check and in a separate letter stating that the payment constituted a full and final settlement of the matter. R.F. cashed the check sent by Attorney Woodard, but also responded in a subsequent letter that he disputed that the $500 payment constituted a final settlement of the full debt.
¶ 32. Attorney Woodard claimed at the reinstatement hearing that he viewed R.F.'s cashing of his $500 check as an accord and satisfaction, which would appear to constitute a "settlement" of the claim of a person harmed by Attorney Woodard's misconduct under SCR 22.29(4m). We choose not to decide in this reinstatement proceeding, however, whether the cashing of the check constituted a valid accord and satisfaction, and thus a "settlement" for purposes of SCR 22.29(4m).
¶ 33. Even if Attorney Woodard's partial payment legally constitutes an accord and satisfaction, we are troubled by this attempt — after more than 15 years of non-action and on the eve of a reinstatement proceeding — to avoid making full restitution through sending a check to an unrepresented former client with a notation of a full and final settlement in order to claim an accord and satisfaction in the reinstatement proceeding. All attorneys have a professional obligation, in exchange for being granted the privilege to practice law in this state, to put the interests of their clients above
¶ 34. Although this court did not impose a restitution obligation in the original disciplinary proceeding, we now require Attorney Woodard to make an additional restitution payment to R.F. as a condition of his reinstatement. The stipulation in the original disciplinary proceeding provided that Attorney Woodard had received $3,000 and had provided some services to R.F. by representing him at his sentencing hearing. On the other hand, Attorney Woodard now essentially claims that he agreed to the stipulation in the original disciplinary case only due to his depressed state at the time and that he actually received only $1,500 from R.F. Even if Attorney Woodard did receive only $1,500 from R.F. and did represent him at the sentencing hearing, we now conclude that Attorney Woodard should return that entire amount as a condition of his reinstatement. Because he has already sent a $500 payment to R.F., we will require him to make an additional payment of $1,000 to R.F. We consider this additional restitution payment as satisfying Attorney Woodard's obligation under SCR 22.29(4m).
¶ 35. Having resolved these two matters, we conclude that the facts as found by the referee support the legal conclusion that Attorney Woodard has satisfied the criteria for the reinstatement of his license to practice law in Wisconsin by clear and convincing evidence.
¶ 36. Although we determine that Attorney Woodard has now satisfied the criteria for reinstatement,
¶ 38. IT IS ORDERED that the petition for reinstatement of the license of Stanley V. Woodard to practice law in Wisconsin is granted, effective the date of this order.
¶ 39. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the reinstatement of Stanley V. Woodard's license to practice law is subject to the following conditions:
A. During the first three-year period after his reinstatement, Attorney Woodard shall practice law in Wisconsin only in a law firm or organizational setting and shall be subject to the direct supervisory authority of a supervising attorney, who shall not be his spouse, pursuant to the requirements of SCR 20:5.1(b).
B. Within six months following reinstatement, Attorney Woodard shall attend a minimum of seven (7) hours of continuing legal education concerning the subjects of fee agreements, client trust account management, and law office management. Attorney Woodard shall provide certificates of attendance for such seminars to the Office of Lawyer Regulation.
C. For a period of two years following reinstatement, Attorney Woodard shall, on a quarterly basis, provide or open for inspection to the Office of Lawyer Regulation all trust account and business accounting records related to Attorney Woodard's practice of law. Such records shall show, among other things, what advance fees or client funds have been received by Attorney Woodard, where such advance fees or client funds have
¶ 40. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that within 90 days of the date of this order, Stanley V. Woodard shall pay restitution to R.F. in the additional amount of $1,000 and shall provide evidence of such payment to the Office of Lawyer Regulation. If this additional restitution payment is not paid within the time specified, the Office of Lawyer Regulation is authorized to move this court for a further suspension of the license of Stanley Y. Woodard to practice law in Wisconsin.
¶ 41. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that within 120 days of the date of this order, Stanley V Woodard shall pay to the Office of Lawyer Regulation the costs of this proceeding. If the costs are not paid within the time specified and Stanley Y Woodard has not negotiated a resolution as to the payment of the costs over time with the Office of Lawyer Regulation, the Office of Lawyer Regulation is authorized to move this court for a further suspension of the license of Stanley Y Woodard to practice law in Wisconsin.
¶ 42. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the $1,000 additional restitution payment to R.F. shall be paid prior to the payment of the costs of this proceeding.
Because neither party appealed from the referee's report and recommendation, our review proceeds under SCR 22.33(3), which provides that "[i]f no appeal is timely filed, the supreme court shall review the referee's report, order reinstatement, with or without conditions, deny reinstatement, or order the parties to file briefs in the matter."
SCR 22.31(1) states:
The petitioner has the burden of demonstrating, by clear, satisfactory, and convincing evidence, all of the following:
(a) That he or she has the moral character to practice law in Wisconsin.
ft)) That his or her resumption of the practice of law will not be detrimental to the administration of justice or subversive of the public interest.
(c) That his or her representations in the petition, including the representations required by SCR 22.29(4)(a) to [(4m)] and 22.29(5), are substantiated.
(d) That he or she has complied fully with the terms of the order of suspension or revocation and with the requirements of SCR 22.26.
SCR 22.29(4)(a) through (4m) provides that a petition for reinstatement shall show all of the following:
(a) The petitioner desires to have the petitioner's license reinstated.
(b) The petitioner has not practiced law during the period of suspension or revocation.
*252 (c) The petitioner has complied fully with the terms of the order of suspension or revocation and will continue to comply with them until the petitioner's license is reinstated.
(d) The petitioner has maintained competence and learning in the law by attendance at identified educational activities.
(e) The petitioner's conduct since the suspension or revocation has been exemplary and above reproach.
(f) The petitioner has a proper understanding of and attitude toward the standards that are imposed upon members of the bar and will act in conformity with the standards.
(g) The petitioner can safely be recommended to the legal profession, the courts and the public as a person fit to be consulted by others and to represent them and otherwise act in matters of trust and confidence and in general to aid in the administration of justice as a member of the bar and as an officer of the courts.
(h) The petitioner has fully complied with the requirements set forth in SCR 22.26.
(j) The petitioner's proposed use of the license if reinstated.
(k) A full description of all of the petitioner's business activities during the period of suspension or revocation.
(4m) The petitioner has made restitution to or settled all claims of persons injured or harmed by petitioner's misconduct, including reimbursement to the Wisconsin lawyers' fund for client protection for all payments made from that fund, or, if not, the petitioner's explanation of the failure or inability to do so.
Dysthymia has been defined as "morbid anxiety and depression accompanied by obsession." Webster's Third New Int'l Dictionary Unabridged 712 (1981).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings Against Stanley v. Woodard, Attorney At Law. Board of Attorneys Professional Responsibility v. Stanley V Woodard, Respondent In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings Against Stanley V. Woodard, Attorney at Law. Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Stanley V. Woodard
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