Washington Lawyer - July/August 2020 - 51

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARIES

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Disciplinary Actions Taken by the
District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Original Matters
In re Donald R. Harris. Bar No. 485340. March 26,
2020. The D.C. Court of Appeals suspended
Harris pursuant to D.C. Bar R. XI § 13(c) pending
final resolution of his disciplinary proceeding in
Board Docket No. 19-BD-004. In the underlying
disciplinary proceeding, Harris was charged
with various misconduct, including reckless or
intentional misappropriation of entrusted
funds. He asserted that he suffered from a
disability that entitled him to mitigation of the
disciplinary sanction. The court suspended
Harris in this case because he asserted a
disability that impaired his ability to practice
law but failed to comply with conditions
imposed to protect the public while he
continued to practice.
In re Michael T. Rosenberg. Bar No. 436191. April
30, 2020. The D.C. Court of Appeals indefinitely
suspended Rosenberg based on disability.
In re Michael M. Wilson. Bar No. 941674. April 23,
2020. The D.C. Court of Appeals suspended
Wilson for 30 days, with the suspension period
to begin on a date Wilson selects - and reports
in advance to Disciplinary Counsel - within 90
days after the court's suspension order. While
retained to jointly represent family members in
a wrongful death/medical malpractice case,
Wilson failed to provide competent representation, failed to consult with all clients about settlement, failed to keep a client reasonably
informed about the status of a matter and failed
to comply with reasonable requests for information, failed to explain the status of the matter
necessary to allow the client to make informed
decisions, and represented clients when the
representation was adversely affected by representation of another client. Rules 1.1(a), 1.2(a),
1.4(a), 1.4(b), and 1.7(b)(2).
In re Philip B. Zipin. Bar No. 367362. April 23,
2020. The D.C. Court of Appeals accepted Zipin's
petition for negotiated discipline and suspended him for 60 days, stayed in favor of one
year unsupervised probation. Zipin failed to (1)

provide competent representation, (2) serve his
client with skill and care, (3) act with diligence
and zeal, (4) act with reasonable promptness,
and (5) notify his client of a potential conflict of
interest. Additionally, Zipin's actions interfered
with the administration of justice. Rules 1.1(a),
1.1(b), 1.3(a), 1.3(c), 1.7(b)(4), and 8.4(d).
Reciprocal Matters
In re Babak Bagheri. Bar No. 465302. April 30,
2020. In a reciprocal matter from Maryland, the
D.C. Court of Appeals imposed reciprocal discipline and disbarred Bagheri, nunc pro tunc to
February 24, 2020. In Maryland, Bagheri consented to disbarment for violating rules relating
to knowingly making a false statement of
material fact in connection with a disciplinary
matter; committing a crime reflecting adversely
on the attorney's honesty, trustworthiness, or
fitness as an attorney in other aspects; dishonesty; and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.
In re James S. Delsordo. Bar No. 498507. April 15,
2020. In a reciprocal matter from Virginia, the
D.C. Court of Appeals imposed substantially
different reciprocal discipline and disbarred
Delsordo, nunc pro tunc to July 23, 2019. The
misconduct found in Virginia would constitute
intentional or reckless misappropriation, for
which disbarment is the presumed sanction in
the District of Columbia.
In re Joseph A. Ferriero. Bar No. 414306. April 30,
2020. In a reciprocal matter from New Jersey,
the D.C. Court of Appeals imposed identical
reciprocal discipline and disbarred Ferriero. In
New Jersey, Ferriero was disbarred based upon
his criminal conviction for racketeering and wire
fraud.
In re Marla L. Stein. Bar No. 422453. April 30,
2020. In a reciprocal matter from Connecticut,
the D.C. Court of Appeals imposed reciprocal
discipline and disbarred Stein. In Connecticut,
Stein resigned from the practice of law and
waived the privilege of reapplying in the future
in connection with her felony conviction for
attempting to obstruct the administration of
internal revenue laws.

Informal Admonitions Issued by
the Office of Disciplinary Counsel
In re Gary T. Brown. Bar No. 246314. February 6,
2020. The Office of Disciplinary Counsel issued
Brown an informal admonition. Brown failed to
refund, in a timely manner, unearned fees that
were awarded by the D.C. Bar's Attorney/Client
Arbitration Board and affirmed by the Superior
Court for the District of Columbia. Rule 1.16(d).
Disciplinary Actions Taken by the Board
on Professional Responsibility Hearing
Committees on Negotiated Discipline
In re Stephanie G. Reich. Bar No. 473039. April 27,
2020. The Board on Professional Responsibility's
Ad Hoc Hearing Committee recommends that
the D.C. Court of Appeals accept Reich's petition
for negotiated discipline and suspend her for
three years, nunc pro tunc to July 5, 2016, for
violations of Rules 8.4(b), 8.4(c), and D.C. Bar R.
XI, R. § 10(d).
Disciplinary Actions Taken by the
Board on Professional Responsibility
Original Matters
In re Wayne R. Rohde. Bar No. 421213. March 11,
2020. The Board on Professional Responsibility
recommends that the D.C. Court of Appeals
publicly censure Rohde for failure to disclose
prior disciplinary proceedings when applying
for admission pro hac vice in federal court in
Virginia in violation of Virginia Rules 3.3(a)(1) and
8.4(c).
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/court-of-appeals/
opinions-memorandum-of-judgments.

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JULY/AUGUST 2020

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WASHINGTON LAWYER

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http://www.dcattorneydiscipline.org http://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-appeals/opinions-memorandum-of-judgments http://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-appeals/opinions-memorandum-of-judgments
Washington Lawyer - July/August 2020

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