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Ill. Panel Suggests 1-Year Suspension For Atty s Fund Misuse
Law360 (December 15, 2020, 9:24 PM EST) An Illinois attorney should be suspended for a year for misconduct that includes using retainer funds before he d earned them and neglecting a matter that resulted in a default judgment against one of his clients, an Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission panel said Monday.
The three-year suspension recommended by the administrator is too harsh for employment attorney Burton Douglas Stephens Jr., a three-member IARDC hearing board panel concluded. But a one-year suspension is warranted given that Stephens s mishandling of funds, neglect of a client matter and failure to cooperate with investigations into his practice constitute serious misconduct, it said..