Washington Lawyer - June 2020 - 44

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARIES

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Disciplinary Actions Taken by the District
of Columbia Court of Appeals
Original Matters
In re Abigail A. Askew. Bar No. 497703.
February 20, 2020. The D.C. Court of Appeals
suspended Askew for six months, during
which time she shall complete a practice
management course approved by
Disciplinary Counsel, and after which she shall
serve a probationary period of one year under
the watch of a practice monitor. While
appointed to represent a client in an appeal
of his felony conviction of a Bail Reform Act
violation, Askew failed to communicate with
the client, failed to file a brief on the client's
behalf, and failed to otherwise respond to
court orders. Rules 1.1(a), 1.1(b), 1.3(a), 1.4(a),
1.4(b), 3.4(c), and 8.4(d).
In re Bernard A. Gray Sr. Bar No. 955013.
February 13, 2020. The D.C. Court of Appeals
disbarred Gray for commingling personal and
client funds in a trust account, failing to
maintain adequate records of client funds,
and recklessly misappropriating funds
belonging to clients. Rule 1.15(a).
In re Wendell C. Robinson. Bar No. 377091.
February 20, 2020. The D.C. Court of
Appeals suspended Robinson for one year.
While retained to represent a client in a
medical malpractice case, Robinson failed
to hold disputed legal fees in trust until his
dispute with co-counsel was resolved. Rule
1.15(d).
Reciprocal Matters
In re Christal Elizabeth Edwards. Bar No.
1016332. February 6, 2020. In a reciprocal
matter from Maryland, the D.C. Court of
Appeals imposed identical reciprocal discipline and disbarred Edwards, nunc pro tunc to
May 3, 2019. In Maryland, Edwards was found
to have neglected client matters, made false
or misleading statements, knowingly misappropriated client property by prematurely
paying herself advance fees, refused to refund
unearned fees, and failed to cooperate in disciplinary investigations.

In re Timothy D. Naegele. Bar No. 161448.
February 27, 2020. In a reciprocal matter from
California, the D.C. Court of Appeals imposed
substantially different reciprocal discipline
and suspended Naegele for 30 days with
fitness. The sanction was based upon
Naegele's failure to cooperate in California
disciplinary proceedings.

In re Nancy T. Lord. Bar No. 430764. February
28, 2020. Lord was suspended on an interim
basis based upon discipline imposed in
Nevada.

Interim Suspensions Issued by the
District of Columbia Court of Appeals

In re Jason E. Rheinstein. Bar No. 494575.
February 28, 2020. Rheinstein was suspended
on an interim basis based upon discipline
imposed in Maryland.

In re Joseph R. Costello. Bar No. 465007.
February 28, 2020. Costello was suspended
on an interim basis based upon discipline
imposed in the Supreme Court of the State of
New York, Appellate Division for the Second
Judicial Department.
In re James Michael Farrell. Bar No. 250878.
February 28, 2020. Farrell was suspended on
an interim basis based upon discipline
imposed in Pennsylvania.
In re Joseph A. Ferriero. Bar No. 414306.
February 3, 2020. Ferriero was suspended
on an interim basis based upon discipline
imposed in New Jersey.
In re Majd M. Ghanayem. Bar No. 1031229.
February 28, 2020. Ghanayem was suspended
on an interim basis based upon discipline
imposed in Texas.
In re Jahangir Ghobadi. Bar No. 441214.
February 28, 2020. Ghobadi was suspended
on an interim basis based upon discipline
imposed by the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary
Board.
In re Michael A. Hanamirian. Bar No. 422702.
February 28, 2020. Hanamirian was ordered to
show why he should not be suspended for
two years in the District of Columbia, fully
stayed in favor of one year's probation conditioned upon compliance with the terms
imposed in Pennsylvania, based upon discipline imposed in Pennsylvania.
In re Eugene I. Kane Jr. Bar No. 393218.
February 13, 2020. Kane was suspended on an
interim basis based upon discipline imposed
in Maryland.

In re William C. Planta. Bar No. 462383.
February 13, 2020. Planta was suspended
on an interim basis based upon discipline
imposed in Maryland.

In re Marla L. Stein. Bar No. 422453. February
13, 2020. Stein was suspended on an interim
basis based upon discipline imposed in the
Superior Court for the Judicial District of
Hartford, Connecticut.
In re David R. Steinman. Bar No. 460646.
February 28, 2020. Steinman was suspended
on an interim basis based upon discipline
imposed in Colorado.
Disciplinary Actions Taken by Other
Jurisdictions
In accordance with D.C. Bar Rule XI, § 11(c), the
D.C. Court of Appeals has ordered public notice
of the following nonsuspensory and nonprobationary disciplinary sanctions imposed on D.C.
attorneys by other jurisdictions. To obtain
copies of these decisions, visit www.dcattorney
discipline.org and search by individual names.
In re Lee Jackson. Bar No. 490049. On October
31, 2019, the Attorney Discipline Probable
Cause Committee of the Supreme Court of
Arizona admonished Jackson for failing to
consult with clients about the means by which
their objectives were to be pursued, failing to
act with reasonable diligence, failing to adequately communicate with clients, and failing
to provide a sufficient writing setting forth the
scope of representation and the rate of his fee.
In re David C. Jones. Bar No. 449684. On
January 21, 2020, the Virginia State Bar
Disciplinary Board issued Jones a public
reprimand with terms for violating professional rules that govern diligence and
communication.

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44 WASHINGTON LAWYER

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JUNE 2020
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Washington Lawyer - June 2020

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