Paula Werme, a lawyer who has devoted her practice to battling the state Division for Children, Youth and Families, has received a suspended penalty for violating a court order while representing a client in a child neglect case.
Werme was given a six-month suspension from law - all of it stayed for two years if she does not commit misconduct again - by the state Professional Conduct Committee this week. The committee is charged with investigating misconduct complaints against lawyers and issuing penalties in cases.
According to the committee's records, while Werme was representing the father, she wrote a letter to his daughter despite a court order barring Werme, her client or his family from contacting the girl.
The court had issued the no-contact order because previous phone calls between the girl and her father were so upsetting they had exacerbated the girl's unspecified medical condition, according to committee files. In her January 2007 letter to the girl, who was then 16, Werme told the girl her relatives were lying to her when they allegedly told her she would have enough money to attend college if only her father paid his overdue child support.
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Lawyer penalized for writing child
Werme was given a six-month suspension from law - all of it stayed for two years if she does not commit misconduct again - by the state Professional Conduct Committee this week. The committee is charged with investigating misconduct complaints against lawyers and issuing penalties in cases.
According to the committee's records, while Werme was representing the father, she wrote a letter to his daughter despite a court order barring Werme, her client or his family from contacting the girl.
The court had issued the no-contact order because previous phone calls between the girl and her father were so upsetting they had exacerbated the girl's unspecified medical condition, according to committee files. In her January 2007 letter to the girl, who was then 16, Werme told the girl her relatives were lying to her when they allegedly told her she would have enough money to attend college if only her father paid his overdue child support.
Full Article and Source:
Lawyer penalized for writing child
4 comments:
These Professional Conduct Committees (self-policing by the Bar) are responsible for the growth in lawyer misconduct.
They'll punish this type of situation and let the big boys go scott-free, engaging in massive coverups; i.e., dismissals.
A NY lawyer, former bar counsel staff member, is suing the agency for coverups!
It's about time the truth came out!
It's like taking candy from a baby! Why? Was the judge snoozing?
Bonding should be mandated for all professional guardians.
Boy oh boy, the discipline committee comes out in full force when a lawyer "disobeys" a judge.
They can rip off the public trust all day long and the discipline committee never gets around to that.
But Paula Werme disobeys the judge, and watch out!
It's all nuts.
Either you're in the club and they can't touch you, or you make a bad move and they throw you to the wolves.
Why would anyone want to be a lawyer in this day and age?
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