Discipline Notice - James R. McLees

License Number: 2785
Member Name: James R. McLees
Discipline Detail
Action: Reprimand
Effective Date: 11/17/2000
RPC: 1.1 - Competence
1.3 - Diligence
Discipline Notice:
Description: James R. McLees (WSBA No. 2785, admitted 1993), of Sumner, has received a reprimand based on a stipulation approved by the Disciplinary Board on November 17, 2000. The discipline is based upon his failure to diligently represent a client.
In July 1996, Mr. McLees agreed to represent a client in a claim against her insurance agent for misrepresentation of coverage. The client believed she had purchased a particular medical insurance policy, made a claim, and was told that she did not have the coverage she thought she had. Mr. McLees incorrectly determined that a six-year statute of limitations for breach of contract applied to this claim. Mr. McLees did not respond to his client’s calls between July 1996 and August 1997.
In August 1997, the client retained another lawyer. The new lawyer determined that the three-year statute of limitations applied to the claim of the agent’s negligence. The three-year statute of limitations expired while Mr. McLees was handling the client’s case. Mr. McLees suffered health problems during this time and did not inform the client that these problems prevented him from attending to her case. Mr. McLees agreed to pay the client $3,000 plus interest as part of the stipulation.
Mr. McLees’s conduct violated RPCs 1.3, requiring lawyers to diligently represent clients; and 1.1, requiring lawyers to provide competent representation.
Val Tollefson represented the Bar Association. Kurt Bulmer represented Mr. McLees.


In some cases, discipline search results will not reveal all disciplinary action relating to a Washington licensed legal professional, and may not display links to the official decision documents. Click the "Important Information" button below for further details.

Important Information +

This discipline search accesses notices of disciplinary action since 1984, and for cases decided in 2013 or later, also generally includes the official decision documents. The search does not contain pre-1984 notices or records, and may not contain the official decision documents in cases decided before 2013. To obtain other records of discipline, including pre-1984 discipline documents, please make a public records request.

The action listed on the discipline notice does not in all cases reflect the current status of the legal professional's license. Check the Legal Directory for current status information.