OH: Warren Lawyer is Suspended for 18 Months

The Ohio Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the law license of Warren attorney John H. Large for two years, with the final six months of that term stayed on certain conditions.

The court announced on its website the suspension was for professional misconduct in his dealings with three different clients and for making misrepresentations of fact in seeking reinstatement from a prior disciplinary suspension.

In a 7-0 opinion, the court adopted January findings by the Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline that after accepting fee advances from three clients, Large improperly deposited those unearned funds into his law office checking account rather than into a client trust account as required by state disciplinary rules.

The board forwarded to the Supreme Court seven aggravating factors against Large, including his prior one-year suspension for failing to pay income taxes and report employee wages in 2009 and testimony that the board said lacked truthfulness during his hearing. The previous one-year suspension followed a federal court case in which Large was found guilty of failing to pay the taxes from 2000 to 2004. He was sentenced to four years probation, six months in a halfway house, six months house arrest and ordered to pay $88,000 in restitution.

The board cited selfish motives when Large filed a divorce action for a woman in Lake County after she had fired him and after he received a $2,000 retainer. Large attempted to continue the relationship despite the client's desire to terminate, according to a report.

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Warren Lawyer is Suspended for 18 Months