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Richard Collins (WSBA No. 27007, admitted
1997), of Big Bear Lake, California, was suspended
for two years, effective February 14, 2012, by order
of the Washington State Supreme Court imposing
reciprocal discipline in accordance with an order of
the California State Supreme Court. This discipline
is based on Mr. Collins’s failure to comply with the
conditions of California’s State Bar Court’s Alternative
Discipline Program, failure to refund unearned
advance fees, failure to perform legal services,
failure to communicate, and failure to cooperate
with disciplinary investigations. For more information,
see the State Bar of California website’s
member directory, available at www.members.
calbar.ca.gov/fal/member/detail/162552.
Mr. Collins’s conduct violated California’s RPC
3-110(A), prohibiting a lawyer from intentionally,
recklessly, or repeatedly failing to perform
legal services with competence; California’s RPC
3-700(A)(2), prohibiting a lawyer from withdrawing
from employment until the member has taken
reasonable steps to avoid reasonably foreseeable
prejudice to the rights of the client, including giving
due notice to the client; California’s RPC 3-700(D)
(2), requiring a lawyer to promptly refund any part
of a fee paid in advance that has not been earned;
California’s RPC 4-100(B)(3), requiring a lawyer to
maintain complete records of all funds, securities,
and other properties of a client coming into the
possession of the member or law firm and render
appropriate accounts to the client regarding them;
preserve such records for a period of no less than
five years after final appropriate distribution of
such funds or properties; and comply with any
order for an audit of such records issued pursuant
to the Rules of Procedure of the State Bar; California’s
Business and Professions Code § 6068(i)
and (m), requiring a lawyer to cooperate and
participate in any disciplinary investigation and
to respond promptly to reasonable status inquiries
of clients and keep clients reasonably informed of
significant developments in matters with regard
to which the attorney has agreed to provide legal
services; California’s Business and Professions
Code § 6103, prohibiting a lawyer from a willful
disobedience or violation of an order of the court
requiring him to do or forbear an act connected
with or in the course of his profession, which he
ought in good faith to do or forbear; and California’s
Business and Professions Code § 6106, stating
that the commission of any act involving moral
turpitude, dishonesty or corruption, whether the
act is committed in the course of his relations as
an attorney or otherwise, and whether the act is a
felony or misdemeanor or not, constitutes a cause
for disbarment or suspension.
Joanne S. Abelson represented the Bar Association.
Mr. Collins represented himself. |