Legal Ethics
Louisiana Lawyer Accused of Hiding Fee from Firm Cites ADHD
Posted Aug 25, 2008, 08:31 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A Louisiana lawyer accused in an ethics complaint of diverting attorney fees from his law firm cites in his defense his diagnosis with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
John M. Sharp of Baton Rouge was managing partner of the firm, Sharp Henry Cerniglia Colvin Weaver & Davis, from 2003 to 2005. The Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board claims Sharp took about $50,000 in attorney fees from a settlement without reporting it to his partners, reports TheTownTalk.com.
Sharp has returned the money. He hired two expert witnesses who testified about his ADHD diagnosis, the story says. Psychiatrist Kenneth Todd said the problem doesn’t destroy the ability to distinguish right from wrong, but "it does explain it a little bit."
"The characteristic of burning things down without thinking it fully through, that's a characteristic of ADHD," he testified.
Sharp is lead counsel for the city of Alexandria in a lawsuit that claims a utility defrauded city ratepayers. A hearing committee report (PDF) recommends disbarment.