Stoel Rives lawyer blasts 'misguided effort' after Oregon supremes toss ethics complaint
The Oregon Supreme Court has found two Stoel Rives lawyers did not violate ethics rules when they represented a company and some of its employees in a securities fraud investigation.
The court said the lawyers, Barnes Ellis and Lois Rosenbaum, did not violate the ethical ban on representing multiple clients with adverse interests, the Oregonian reports. How Appealing noted the story and linked to the Feb. 20 ruling (PDF).
According to the Oregonian, the lawyers had represented up to 40 employees of Flir Systems.
A trial panel had recommended a public reprimand for the lawyers, finding that some conflicts of interest existed, and the lawyers had made insufficient disclosures regarding the conflicts. On appeal, the state supreme court tossed all the charges, finding the bar had not proven the allegations.
Ellis recently retired from Stoel Rives. Rosenbaum called the ethics case “a misguided effort” in an interview with the Oregonian. “Obviously, we’re very pleased, we always believed our representation was in the best interest of our clients,” Rosenbaum told the publication. “This was a terrible waste of public assets. We believe they spent $750,000 or more.”
