Monday, March 31, 2008

Denver Probate Lawyer

Denver probate lawyer Susan Haines has lost her license to practice for taking $70,000 from a client's estate and then lying under oath about it. The Colorado Supreme Court upheld Haines' disbarment and ordered her to pay back $65,000.

"Haines by deceit and fraud seized the opportunity to pay herself a large amount of money without her client's authorization," the court ruled.

The court said it agreed with a hearing board finding that "Haines engaged in a course of conduct that constituted knowing misappropriation of estate funds and lied under oath in the hearing board's proceeding."

Haines was involved as a lawyer or guardian ad litem in several of the cases the Rocky Mountain News wrote about in its 2001 series, The Probate Pit, which examined questionable practices by court-appointed guardians, conservators and lawyers that drain estates of the elderly.

Source: Denver probate lawyer loses license

Gordon Wolfe charged an elderly woman $28,949 for 22 months of service, fees that another court appointee considered excessive, as mentioned in The Probate Pit

Gordon Wolfe is registered with Center for Guardianship Certification

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