Legal Ethics
Lawyer bills over 3,500 hours a year, loses license for 4 years it will take to make restitution
A sole practitioner who claimed to have worked well over 3,500 hours annually while representing parents and children in juvenile court and guardianship matters during two fiscal years between 2007 and 2009 has lost his law license for four years.
That is the amount of time it will take Derek Matthew Beaulieu to pay back several Massachusetts agencies under a promissory note he has executed in order to make restitution for his excessive billing, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts explains in a January order (PDF).
It calls the promise to repay a mitigating factor and says Beaulieu is not to apply for reinstatement until he has paid the money back, but does not specify the total amount at issue.
Hat tip: Legal Profession Blog.
