Washington Lawyer - April/May 2018 - 44

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARIES
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Disciplinary Actions Taken
by the District of Columbia
Court of Appeals
Original Matters
In re Harold E. Brazil. Bar No. 190124.
January 18, 2018. The D.C. Court of
Appeals disbarred Brazil by consent,
effective January 22, 2018.
Reciprocal Matters
In re Cyrus A. Bischoff. Bar No.
983732. January 25, 2018. In a reciprocal matter from Florida, the D.C.
Court of Appeals imposed functionally equivalent reciprocal discipline and suspended Bischoff for
two years with fitness. In Florida,
Bischoff was found to have knowingly pursued frivolous claims,
engaged in discovery misconduct,
failed to comply with court orders,
and intentionally lied to a tribunal.
In re Wayne R. Hartke. Bar No.
200378. January 25, 2018. In a reciprocal matter from Virginia, the D.C.
Court of Appeals imposed identical
reciprocal discipline and suspended
Hartke for five years. In Virginia,
Hartke was found to have testified
falsely when ordered to show
cause why he had failed to
appear on behalf of a client in
a criminal matter.
In re Rodney Michael Jones. Bar
No. 993968. January 25, 2018.
In a reciprocal matter from
Maryland, the D.C. Court of Appeals
imposed reciprocal discipline and
disbarred Jones, nunc pro tunc to
December 5, 2017. In Maryland,
Jones acknowledged that sufficient
evidence existed to sustain allegations he had violated Maryland
Lawyers' Rules of Professional
Conduct 1.1 (Competence), 1.3
(Diligence), 1.4 (Communication),
1.7 (Conflict of Interest), 1.15(a)
(Safekeeping Property), 1.16(d)
(Terminating Representation), 8.4(a)
(Misconduct), and 8.4(d) (Conduct
Prejudicial to the Administration of
Justice).

In re David M. Korrey. Bar No.
345389. January 25, 2018. In a reciprocal matter from Nevada, the D.C.
Court of Appeals imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended
Korrey for three months, stayed in
favor of a six-month period of probation. In Nevada, Korrey was found
to have failed to adequately supervise his nonlawyer assistants,
resulting in conversion of entrusted
funds and unauthorized practice
of law.
In re Melodie V. Shuler. Bar No.
488686. January 25, 2018. In a reciprocal matter from Maryland, the
D.C. Court of Appeals imposed
reciprocal discipline and disbarred
Shuler. In Maryland, Shuler was
disbarred for repeatedly failing to
act on behalf of her incarcerated
client, failing to visit her client to
discuss the case, misrepresenting
relevant legal information to her
client, failing to investigate her
client's case, and refusing to cooperate with disciplinary authorities.
Interim Suspensions Issued
by the District of Columbia
Court of Appeals
In re Olekanma A. EkekweKauffman. Bar No. 479967. January
3, 2018. Ekekwe-Kauffman was suspended on an interim basis
pursuant to D.C. Bar R. XI, § 9(g),
pending final action on the Board
on Professional Responsibility's July
27, 2017, recommendation of
disbarment.
In re Barlow Smith. Bar No. 972695.
January 10, 2018. Smith was suspended on an interim basis based
upon discipline imposed in Texas.
Informal Admonitions Issued by
the Office of Disciplinary
Counsel
In re Denise M. Clark. Bar No.
420480. January 11, 2018.
Disciplinary Counsel issued Clark an
informal admonition. While
retained to represent a client in a
discrimination matter, Clark failed

to file the federal claim within the
statutory 90-day deadline, causing
the matter to be dismissed. Rules
1.3(a) and 1.3(c).
In re Henry N. Maturi. Bar No.
498767. December 20, 2017.
Disciplinary Counsel issued Maturi
an informal admonition. While
retained to represent a client in
removal proceedings, Maturi failed
to ensure his client would be adequately represented at a merits
hearing. Texas Disciplinary Rule
of Professional Conduct 1.01(b)(1)
as made applicable by D.C. Rule
8.5(b)(1).
In re Laryce Woodyear. Bar No.
421849. January 11, 2018.
Disciplinary Counsel issued
Woodyear an informal admonition.
While appointed by the District of
Columbia Superior Court Probate
Division as guardian and conservator for an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer's, Woodyear
frequently missed deadlines, failed
to maintain the necessary documentation to support several
expenditures, failed to safeguard
the ward's car and will, and filed
incomplete accountings. Rules
1.1(a), 1.1(b), 1.15(a), and 8.4(d).
Disciplinary Actions Taken
by the Board on Professional
Responsibility
Original Matters
In re William E. Baroni Jr. Bar No.
468687. January 18, 2018. The Board
on Professional Responsibility recommends that the D.C. Court of
Appeals disbar Baroni, and that for
purposes of reinstatement, Baroni's
disbarment be deemed to run from
October 10, 2017, the date of his
interim suspension. Among other
offenses, Baroni was convicted in
the United States District Court for
the District of New Jersey of wire
fraud and conspiracy to commit
wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C.
§§ 2, 1343 and 1349, crimes
involving moral turpitude per se,

for which disbarment is mandatory
under D.C. Code § 11-2503(a) (2001).
In re Harold E. Brazil. Bar No. 190124.
January 5, 2018. The Board on
Professional Responsibility recommends that the D.C. Court of
Appeals disbar Brazil by consent,
effective January 22, 2018.
In re Cary Clennon. Bar No. 366816.
January 25, 2018. The Board on
Professional Responsibility recommends that the D.C. Court of
Appeals suspend Clennon for 60
days, stayed in favor of one-year
probation, with conditions. In connection with his court-appointed
representation of a criminal defendant, Clennon failed to represent the
client zealously and diligently, failed
to act with responsible promptness,
failed to keep his client reasonably
informed about the status of the
matter and promptly comply with
reasonable requests for information,
failed to explain the matter to the
extent reasonably necessary to
permit the client to make informed
decisions regarding the representation, engaged in conduct involving
misrepresentation, and engaged in
conduct that seriously interfered
with the administration of justice.
Rules 1.3(a), 1.3(c), 1.4(a), 1.4(b), 3.3(a)
(1), 8.4(c), and 8.4(d).

The Office of Disciplinary Counsel
compiled the foregoing summaries
of disciplinary actions. Informal
Admonitions issued by Disciplinary
Counsel and Reports and
Recommendations issued by the Board
on Professional Responsibility are
posted at www.dcattorneydiscipline.
org. Most board recommendations as
to discipline are not final until considered by the court. Court opinions are
printed in the Atlantic Reporter and
also are available online for decisions
issued since August 1998. To obtain
a copy of a recent slip opinion,
visit www.dccourts.gov courtof-appealsopinions-memorandum
-of-judgments.

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44 WASHINGTON LAWYER

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APRIL/MAY 2018

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