The Ultimate in Outrageous Attorney Billing Practices

[Michael Wechsler]

With regard to outrageous attorney billing practices, this one is certainly ranking towards the top. It was just sent to me from a colleague. Feels like it's gossip week but this one is notable too.

Per the Twin Cities Pioneer Press, a married Minnesota attorney was suspended from practicing law for one year and three months after the Minnesota Supreme Court found him guilty of billing his divorce client for the time he was having sex with her as part of an extramarital affair. The time spent engaged in client related activity was allegedly billed as "meetings" or drafting memos. The disgraced attorney has an unsavory past and was reported to have been prior suspended for cocaine usage.

 

[Natey]

Would he have been suspended if he had not billed for having sex with his client?
From the article, it appears that he only got busted because he broke off the affair, and his client tried to kill herself and had disclosed the issue while hospitalized.
I suspect more of that dubious attorney's "clients" will be coming forward with their story shortly.
And who compelled "The Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility" to take action in this matter? Judging from my experiences with dealing with the Office of the Chief Trial Counsel in CA, I find it hard to believe that they would be impelled to act on such matters, unless they were compelled by someone to act.