Laurence Johnson

DCCA Opinion (May 4, 2017)

Summary: The D.C. Court of Appeals suspended Johnson for 90 days, with 60 days stayed in favor of one-year probation subject to the conditions outlined by the Board on Professional Responsibility. Johnson was charged with multiple violations of the Maryland Lawyers’ Rules of Professional Conduct stemming from two separate immigration matters. In the first matter, Johnson entered into a retainer agreement with a client for the purpose of helping her obtain legal permanent residence in the United States, a process that included labor certification. Johnson failed to meet a filing deadline essential to the labor certificate, sent a letter to the client and her employer indicating that her labor certification application had been closed, and offered to start a new application “at a large discount,” but did not return the client’s retainer fee until after an investigation into Johnson’s conduct had begun. The second matter involved Johnson’s representation of a client after the client was ordered removed from the United States. The client retained Johnson to appeal this removal order, which Johnson never appealed. Johnson also deposited the advanced legal fees into his office’s operating account without informed written consent from the client, wrote the client that he intended to terminate the representation but continued to bill him, and did not inform the client that he failed to file an appeal until a later date, at which time Johnson also refunded the client’s retainer fee. Once the client retained new counsel, Johnson refused to provide a letter stating that he failed to file an appeal, believing it would harm his own interests. Johnson refunded the final amount of the client’s retainer fee after the initial Specification of Charges was filed in this case. Maryland Rules 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.8(h)(1), 1.15(a), 1.15(c), 1.16(d), 8.4(c), and 8.4(d).

Board Report and Orders (July 29, 2016)

Summary: The Board on Professional Responsibility recommends the D.C. Court of Appeals suspend Johnson for 90 days, with 60 days stayed, in favor of one-year probation with conditions. Johnson violated multiple violations of the Maryland Lawyers’ Rules of Professional Conduct arising from his handling of two separate immigration matters. Specifically, in the first matter, Johnson failed to timely submit an application necessary to obtain permanent resident status for his client. In the second matter, Johnson failed to appeal a decision that denied the client’s request for voluntary departure from the United States and ordered his “removal” (i.e., deportation), continued to charge fees for the unfiled appeal, failed to inform the client that the appeal had not been filed, commingled client funds (an advance of unearned fees) with his own funds, had the client sign a statement that purported to prospectively limit the client’s liability for malpractice, failed to provide necessary background information about the case to successor counsel, and was dishonest with his client to cover up an omission.

Hearing Committee Report (July 14, 2015)

Summary: Not yet available.