Legal Ethics
Possible Suspension for Ex-Pillsbury Associate Who Inflated Title
Posted Jun 10, 2009, 08:37 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A District of Columbia attorney disciplinary committee is recommending a 60-day license suspension for a former associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman accused of inflating his job title and charging personal expenses to the firm.
The hearing committee said associate Garland Stillwell had told clients he was a senior counsel at the law firm, charged personal expenses to pro bono accounts, and represented a client in a matter that created a potential conflict within the firm, the National Law Journal reports. The committee’s June 4 report (PDF) also said Stillwell had used firm employees to send out a false employment verification for a friend who no longer worked at Pillsbury and used firm resources to work on an outside real estate venture.
The report by the committee said a harsher penalty was not warranted because of mitigating factors. Stillwell had acknowledged the violations, reimbursed the firm, participated in counseling and had no prior violations.
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