Washington Lawyer - March 2019 - 42

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARIES
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where Disciplinary Counsel's
investigation involves an allegation of serious misconduct.
In re Athanasios T. Tsimpedes.
Bar No. 452341. December 4, 2018.
Tsimpedes was suspended on an
interim basis based upon discipline imposed in New Jersey.
Informal Admonitions Issued
by the Office of Disciplinary
Counsel
In re Peter F. Asaad. Bar No.
483977. November 14, 2018.
Disciplinary Counsel issued Asaad
an informal admonition. Asaad
failed to keep adequate,
complete, and accurate time
records and failed to keep
adequate deposit and withdrawal
trust account records. In addition,
Asaad failed to disclose to the
client that he had not fully transferred funds into his new law
firm's IOLTA account. Rules 1.15(a)
and 8.4(c).
In re Gregory Gardner. Bar No.
499514. October 24, 2018.
Disciplinary Counsel issued
Gardner an informal admonition.
While assisting co-counsel with a
habeas petition for a death row
inmate, Gardner violated an
agreement not to communicate
with the client unless co-counsel
were part of the communication.
Rule 8.4(c).

In re Iris McCollum Green. Bar No.
932590. November 14, 2018.
Disciplinary Counsel issued Green
an informal admonition. While
retained to represent a client
regarding her termination from
her job, Green failed to keep her
client reasonably informed about
the status of her indebtedness for
legal services. Rule 1.4(a).
In re Alexander Nassif-Lopez. Bar
No. 966259. October 19, 2018.
Disciplinary Counsel issued
Nassif-Lopez an informal admonition. While retained to represent
a client in an immigration matter,
Nassif-Lopez failed to adequately
prepare the client for testifying at
immigration hearings and failed
to prepare and present legal
arguments in support of the
client's position. Rules 1.1(a), 1.1(b),
and 1.3(a).
In re Celio Young. Bar No. 421672.
November 15, 2018. Disciplinary
Counsel issued Young an
informal admonition. While
retained to represent two clients
in a personal injury matter, Young
failed to act with reasonable
promptness, failed to keep the
clients reasonably informed
about the status of the matter,
and failed to promptly comply
with reasonable requests for
information. Rules 1.3(c) and
1.4(a).

Disciplinary Actions Taken by
the Board on Professional
Responsibility
Original Matters
In re Dan Haendel. Bar No.
287326. November 2, 2018.
The Board on Professional
Responsibility recommends that
the D.C. Court of Appeals disbar
Haendel pursuant to D.C. Code
§ 11-2503(a) based on his conviction of a crime involving moral
turpitude per se, for which disbarment is mandatory. Haendel
was convicted in the Circuit
Court for the City of Staunton,
Virginia, of Va. Code § 18.2-370
(taking indecent liberties with
children) and Va. Code § 18.2374.3 (use of communications
systems to facilitate certain
offenses involving children).
Reciprocal Matters
In re Sharon Styles-Anderson. Bar
No. 412158. December 20, 2018. In
a reciprocal matter from Virginia,
the Board on Professional
Responsibility recommends that
the D.C. Court of Appeals impose
identical reciprocal discipline and
suspend Styles-Anderson for 15
months. The Board recommends
that the 15-month suspension
include fitness and restitution
prior to reinstatement, nunc pro
tunc to September 15, 2017, as a
way of coordinating the suspen-

sion with a recently approved
negotiated disposition involving
Styles-Anderson in a separate
matter. Styles-Anderson and the
Virginia State Bar entered an
Agreed Disposition based on
stipulations for her violations
of Virginia Rules of Professional
Conduct 1.3(a), 1.15(a), 1.15(b),
1.16(a), 1.16(d), 5.5(c), 5.5(d), 8.4(a),
8.4(b), and 8.4(c). Specifically,
Styles-Anderson represented
a juvenile in a matter pending
in the Juvenile and Domestic
Relations Court for Fairfax County
without being licensed in Virginia
and engaged in misappropriation
when she failed to deposit
advanced legal fees into a trust
account.
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/opinionsmemorandum-of-judgments.

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42 WASHINGTON LAWYER

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MARCH 2019

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http://www.dcattorneydiscipline.org http://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-oppeals/opinions-memorandum-of-judgments http://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-oppeals/opinions-memorandum-of-judgments http://www.dcbar.org/
Washington Lawyer - March 2019

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