Attorney Grievance Commission

The state Court of Appeals rejected yesterday a request from former Maryland Republican Party Chairman Michael S. Steele to launch a criminal contempt inquiry against Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and other senators who contacted judges considering legislative redistricting cases. The state's highest court said it would not start a contempt hearing because the state attorney grievance commission is considering the actions of Miller, who is a lawyer. The Court of Appeals disclosed this year that several lawmakers had spoken with or written to judges, asking about redistricting lawsuits before a decision had been reached.

A disbarred Annapolis lawyer was ordered Thursday to serve 18 months in the Anne Arundel County jail plus five years on probation for siphoning nearly $308,000 from a client. Jerold K. Nussbaum, 60, whom Karen Gunther hired to handle her mother's estate, stole most of it in 2005 and 2006, according to prosecutors and court records. He had pleaded guilty in January. "Mr. Nussbaum not only stole my money, but I've lost my home," Gunther, the heir, told Judge Paul A. Hackner, according to a recording of the court hearing.

Carroll State's Attorney Thomas E. Hickman filed the complaint that got Stephen P. Bourexis suspended from practicing law for six months, according to a report by the state Attorney Grievance Commission.Mr. Hickman also used his office to investigate financial misconduct allegations against the prominent Westminster defense attorney and pressed the commission to impose sanctions, the report said.The attorneys admit a strong dislike for each other, in the courtroom and out. The prosecutor has more than once called the defense attorney a liar; Mr. Bourexis has filed lawsuits -- and Attorney Grievance Commission complaints -- claiming Mr. Hickman misuses his office.

Four candidates for Carroll County's Board of Commissioners in the Sept. 12 primary election had criminal records or other violations, according to court records and legal documents. Michael D. Zimmer, a Mount Airy lawyer who is running as a Republican candidate, was sanctioned in 2003 by the Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland, an arm of the state's highest court that tracks complaints against lawyers, according to documents obtained by The Sun. Republican candidate C. Eric Bouchat was convicted of second-degree assault and battery of his ex-wife in 1997, according to court records.

A disbarred Annapolis lawyer was ordered Thursday to serve 18 months in the Anne Arundel County jail plus five years on probation for siphoning nearly $308,000 from a client. Jerold K. Nussbaum, 60, whom Karen Gunther hired to handle her mother's estate, stole most of it in 2005 and 2006, according to prosecutors and court records. He had pleaded guilty in January. "Mr. Nussbaum not only stole my money, but I've lost my home," Gunther, the heir, told Judge Paul A. Hackner, according to a recording of the court hearing.

The Maryland Court of Appeals has ordered Westminster defense attorney Stephen P. Bourexis to stop practicing law for six months beginning Dec. 10.Mr. Bourexis, a fixture of the Carroll defense bar for more than 20 years, agreed to the six-month suspension last month after the Attorney Grievance Commission investigated his handling of $40,000 he borrowed from a longtime client and friend.The grievance commission was prepared to file misconduct charges against Mr. Bourexis. By agreeing to the suspension, Mr. Bourexis avoids further investigation into the loans.

The state's highest court ordered a reprimand yesterday of Montgomery County State's Attorney Douglas F. Gansler for remarks he made to the media that the Attorney Grievance Commission argued could have tainted cases. The decision marks the first time the Maryland Court of Appeals has disciplined an attorney for breaching the Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct. In a unanimous opinion, the court stated that between 2000 and 2001, Gansler violated those rules when he "spoke outside of the court about matters that had substantial likelihood of depriving several criminal defendants of fair trials."

A Bel Air attorney and his client are being investigated for a break-in at the home of the client's estranged wife.The woman alleges that the family kitten was put in a microwave oven and killed at the time of the break-in.A complaint filed Dec. 14 by Nancy Anderson Sanders with the state Attorney Grievance Commission accuses Bel Air lawyer Stanley E. Protokowicz Jr. and her estranged husband, Thomas Sanders, of breaking into her home Oct. 13. She and the children were away at the time, shesaid.

The commission that regulates Maryland attorneys has decided not to punish Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller over complaints he tried to improperly influence judges considering lawsuits against the state's legislative redistricting map. Miller said yesterday that the Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission has concluded its investigation and declined to file formal charges. Melvin Hirshman, head of the Attorney Grievance Commission, was unavailable to comment yesterday, but a commission spokeswoman said the case has been closed.

A Westminster lawyer appointed by the court to oversee the finances of an 83-year-old woman confined to a private nursing care institution has pleaded guilty to taking nearly $120,000 from her bank account.William L. Marquat, 49, of the 100 block of E. Main St. was indicted on a single count of misappropriation of funds by a fiduciary after an audit showed $118,727 was missing from the bank account of Daisy B. Bailey, court records show.Marquat had been appointed legal guardian of Bailey's assets, court records show.

The state's highest court ordered a reprimand yesterday of Montgomery County State's Attorney Douglas F. Gansler for remarks he made to the media that the Attorney Grievance Commission argued could have tainted cases. The decision marks the first time the Maryland Court of Appeals has disciplined an attorney for breaching the Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct. In a unanimous opinion, the court stated that between 2000 and 2001, Gansler violated those rules when he "spoke outside of the court about matters that had substantial likelihood of depriving several criminal defendants of fair trials."

Montgomery County State's Attorney Douglas F. Gansler should be reprimanded for making remarks to the news media that could have prejudiced a notorious murder case, a lawyer for the state's legal disciplinary agency told the state's highest court yesterday. But Gansler's lawyer said that the rules are too vague and do not bar state's attorneys from repeating information that is already before the public. This is the first time the Court of Appeals has looked at prosecutors and pretrial publicity.

The commission that regulates Maryland attorneys has decided not to punish Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller over complaints he tried to improperly influence judges considering lawsuits against the state's legislative redistricting map. Miller said yesterday that the Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission has concluded its investigation and declined to file formal charges. Melvin Hirshman, head of the Attorney Grievance Commission, was unavailable to comment yesterday, but a commission spokeswoman said the case has been closed.

The state Court of Appeals rejected yesterday a request from former Maryland Republican Party Chairman Michael S. Steele to launch a criminal contempt inquiry against Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and other senators who contacted judges considering legislative redistricting cases. The state's highest court said it would not start a contempt hearing because the state attorney grievance commission is considering the actions of Miller, who is a lawyer. The Court of Appeals disclosed this year that several lawmakers had spoken with or written to judges, asking about redistricting lawsuits before a decision had been reached.

The state's highest court suspended from law practice yesterday a longtime attorney for the poor who used a client's funds to pay personal bills. John A. Hayes Jr., a Baltimore lawyer recognized as a Volunteer of the Year in 1999 by the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, can seek reinstatement after 90 days, according to the ruling. The sole issue confronting the Court of Appeals was the form of the sanction, as Hayes admitted that he spent $3,500 he held in escrow for a homeless client on office and personal expenses.

An angry Brady G. Spicer, who maintains he is innocent of the vicious attack on a Annapolis bar manager that put him behind bars, is now seeking state penalties against Anne Arundel County prosecutors and his attorney, claiming they all should be punished for unprofessional work."

YOUR MAY 29 editorial, ''Policing the legal profession,'' shows a lack of understanding of the process followed by the Attorney Grievance Commission.When a grievance against a lawyer is received, it is rejected if it clearly falls outside the Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct. If it states a possible violation, it is treated as an inquiry that requires a response from the attorney and additional information. It may then be rejected, if baseless, or docketed as a complaint, if it clearly sets forth an apparent violation.

The state's top court has disbarred a Baltimore lawyer, saying he misused clients' money, failed to file state withholding tax for an employee and failed to pursue an appeal for a client, then tried to cover up his mistake.In taking away Kenneth Mack Williams' law license, the Court of Appeals said Thursday that the Charles Street lawyer hindered the probe into his law office accounts.The Attorney Grievance Commission argued that Williams was dishonest and untrustworthy.Williams admitted to the allegations but disagreed with those conclusions.

Two lawyers who pursued clients from a Silver Spring train wreck face disciplinary action by the state's highest court for so-called ambulance chasing.Keith S. Franz and Judson H. Lipowitz, both of Towson, have admitted trying to make clients of survivors and grieving relatives immediately after the crash that killed 11 people and injured 26 two years ago.The night of the accident, the lawyers passed out business cards to survivors watching late-night news accounts of the crash at a Washington hotel.

The Maryland Court of Appeals suspended yesterday the law license of Robin Ficker, the former Montgomery County delegate and chief heckler at Washington Bullets games, for running his high-volume Bethesda law practice "like a taxicab company."He dispatched to court whichever lawyer in his office was available, and supervision in his office was so lax that he and others in his practice failed to appear in court, according to the 36-page opinion. Lawyers who worked for him allegedly appeared in court unprepared and, in one case, one of his lawyers went to the wrong court.