Summaries of Opinions

• Publication year: 2000
• Pages: 133
• Citation: Vol. 29 No. 11 Pg. 133

29 Colo.Law. 133 Colorado Lawyer 2000.

2000, November, Pg. 133. Summaries of Opinions

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133

Vol. 29, No. 11, Pg. 133

The Colorado Lawyer
November 2000
Vol. 29, No. 11 [Page 133]

From the Courts
Colorado Disciplinary Cases
Summaries of Opinions

Summaries of opinions appear on a space-available basis. The summaries for the Presiding Disciplinary Judge and hearing board are prepared by the Office of the Presiding Disciplinary Judge, and the summaries for the Appellate Discipline Commission are prepared by the Office of the Appellate Discipline Commission. The summaries of the opinions of the Presiding Disciplinary Judge and the Appellate Discipline Commission are provided as a service by the Colorado Bar Association and are not the official language of the Opinion. The Colorado Bar Association cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the summaries

Unless otherwise noted, full copies of the opinions follow the summaries pages. The summaries and full-text opinions are also available on the CBA homepage at http://www.cobar.org/tcl/index.htm

Summary of Decisions Issued by the Presiding Disciplinary Judge

(August 21, 2000 through September 20, 2000)

People v. Canty, No. 00PDJ008, 9/30/00. Attorney Regulation

The Presiding Disciplinary Judge reinstated Patrick J. Canty to the practice of law effective August 30, 2000. (No written Opinion issued)

People v. Carvell, No. 99PDJ096, 9/11/00. Attorney Regulation.

The Presiding Disciplinary Judge and Hearing Board suspended Respondent Robert A. Carvell for one year and one day Respondent agreed to represent a client in a dissolution of marriage matter and accepted a retainer from the client. Thereafter, he entered his appearance, filed a response to the petition for dissolution, and moved for and attended a temporary orders hearing. Subsequently, for a five-month period, he failed to communicate with the client despite the client’s repeated calls. He failed to advise the client that he was changing office locations. When the client finally reached respondent, respondent set and canceled several appointments. Respondent failed to provide the court with his client’s financial information, failed to notify the client of the final orders hearing, and failed to appear on the client’s behalf. The court ruled adversely to the client’s interests. The client obtained new counsel but was unsuccessful in obtaining relief from the court’s order. Additionally, respondent failed to cooperate with the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel in the investigation of this matter. Respondent’s neglect of his client’s matter constitutes a violation of Colo. RPC 1.3. His failure to keep appointments during a critical stage in the proceeding, and his general failure to communicate with his client over a five-month period, despite his client’s numerous attempts to contact him, constitutes a violation of Colo. RPC 1.4(a), which rose to the level of abandonment. Respondent’s failure to take steps to protect his client’s interests upon termination constitutes a violation of Colo. RPC 1.16(d). His failure to participate in these proceedings constitutes grounds for discipline pursuant to C.R.C.P. 251.5(d) and its predecessor,...