Discipline Notice - Bernice C. Delorme

License Number: 31148
Member Name: Bernice C. Delorme
Discipline Detail
Action: Suspension
Effective Date: 1/12/2012
RPC:
Discipline Notice:
Description: Bernice C. Delorme (WSBA No. 31148,
admitted 2001), of Silver Spring, Maryland,
was suspended for 30 days, effective January
12, 2012, by order of the Washington State
Supreme Court imposing reciprocal discipline
in accordance with an order from the North
Dakota Supreme Court. This discipline is
based on conduct involving unreasonable fees.

Ms. Delorme had no written fee agreement
with Client. She orally agreed to an hourly
rate of $125, but instead charged $175 per
hour and $210 per hour for court time. Ms.
Delorme failed to reflect a payment by Client;
overbilled for mileage; billed to review
Veterans’ Affairs medical records of Client’s
children when the children had never been
to Veterans’ Affairs; billed Client more than
24 hours on June 16, 2008; and billed for time
when she provided no legal services while
Client reviewed paperwork.

Ms. Delorme’s conduct violated N.D.R.
Prof. Conduct 1.5, which prohibits a lawyer
from making an agreement for, charging, or
collecting an unreasonable fee.

Scott G. Busby represented the Bar Association.
Ms. Delorme represented herself.


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.