A
Maryland lawyer found to have breached numerous ethics rules in his
representation of ten clients was ordered disbarred by the state high
court.
Mohamed Alpha Bah’s “pattern of neglect and abandonment” caused “personal and financial harm to his clients and their businesses,” the Maryland Court of Appeals said in an April 10 opinion.
The court disbarred Baltimore, Md., attorney in March after affirming a hearing judge’s findings, and issued the opinion to explain its reasoning.
From 2015 to 2017, Bah agreed to represent the clients in various matters, including employment discrimination, a trademark application, and an eviction proceeding.
But in nine of those cases, he failed to deposit the thousands of dollars in fees paid to him into an attorney trust account until earned, the court said. Bah admitted as much in response to a bar counsel complaint, it said.
The court cited as an example a $500 “filing fee” Bah collected from a client that he never deposited but used for his “personal benefit,” which the court called “deceitful and dishonest.”
The hearing judge assigned to his case found that he failed to inform his clients of the status of their cases and failed to consult with or respond to his clients, the appeals court said.
In one case, for example, Bah amended a fee agreement without getting the client’s written consent, it said.
The hearing judge entered a default judgment against Bah in 2019, concluding he violated his duties relating to competence, scope of representation, diligence, communication,safekeeping of property, terminating representation, and expediting litigation.
The appeals court affirmed the hearing judge’s findings, noting that Bah didn’t appear for oral argument.
It found he abandoned seven of his clients, collecting fees before completing the work. In 10 of the matters, he didn’t respond to requests for information from the clients, and “even sent a mass email directing his clients not to contact him regarding the status of their matters,” the court said.
Bah has intentionally failed to comply with requests for information including his financial records and bank account information, it said.
Aside from failing to present any mitigating factors on his own behalf, according to the court, Bah has never acknowledged the wrongful nature of his conduct or shown remorse, and has displayed “complete indifference” to making restitution to a number of clients.
No contact information for Bah could be located.
The case is Atty. Griev. Comm’n of Md. v. Bah, 2020 BL 134041, Md., No. Misc. Docket AG No. 3, 4/10/20.
Mohamed Alpha Bah’s “pattern of neglect and abandonment” caused “personal and financial harm to his clients and their businesses,” the Maryland Court of Appeals said in an April 10 opinion.
The court disbarred Baltimore, Md., attorney in March after affirming a hearing judge’s findings, and issued the opinion to explain its reasoning.
From 2015 to 2017, Bah agreed to represent the clients in various matters, including employment discrimination, a trademark application, and an eviction proceeding.
But in nine of those cases, he failed to deposit the thousands of dollars in fees paid to him into an attorney trust account until earned, the court said. Bah admitted as much in response to a bar counsel complaint, it said.
The court cited as an example a $500 “filing fee” Bah collected from a client that he never deposited but used for his “personal benefit,” which the court called “deceitful and dishonest.”
The hearing judge assigned to his case found that he failed to inform his clients of the status of their cases and failed to consult with or respond to his clients, the appeals court said.
In one case, for example, Bah amended a fee agreement without getting the client’s written consent, it said.
The hearing judge entered a default judgment against Bah in 2019, concluding he violated his duties relating to competence, scope of representation, diligence, communication,safekeeping of property, terminating representation, and expediting litigation.
The appeals court affirmed the hearing judge’s findings, noting that Bah didn’t appear for oral argument.
It found he abandoned seven of his clients, collecting fees before completing the work. In 10 of the matters, he didn’t respond to requests for information from the clients, and “even sent a mass email directing his clients not to contact him regarding the status of their matters,” the court said.
Bah has intentionally failed to comply with requests for information including his financial records and bank account information, it said.
Aside from failing to present any mitigating factors on his own behalf, according to the court, Bah has never acknowledged the wrongful nature of his conduct or shown remorse, and has displayed “complete indifference” to making restitution to a number of clients.
No contact information for Bah could be located.
The case is Atty. Griev. Comm’n of Md. v. Bah, 2020 BL 134041, Md., No. Misc. Docket AG No. 3, 4/10/20.
Full Article & Source:
Maryland Lawyer Disbarred For Neglecting Ten Clients
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