Kathleen Dolan

DCCA Opinion (August 25, 2022)

Summary: In re Kathleen A. Dolan. Bar No. 428925. August 25, 2022. The D.C. Court of Appeals suspended Dolan for nine months with the requirements that she take a practice management course, complete six hours of continuing legal education on trust account management, and serve one year of probation under the supervision of a practice monitor. Failure to cooperate with the practice monitor will result in revocation of her probation with a requirement that she demonstrate fitness before reinstatement. Dolan’s husband and sole law partner was the lead counsel for the litigation and settlement of a collective action. Together with her husband, Dolan represented more than 100 current and former security officers with wage claims against their employer. They settled the case without informing their clients about the details, and they kept for themselves 67 percent of the settlement as their attorney’s fees without their clients’ knowledge or approval. The court found that Dolan’s partner acted intentionally and dishonestly, and Dolan acted negligently. The court held that Dolan’s conduct constituted a negligent misappropriation of the clients’ settlement funds and violated D.C. Rules 1.2(a), 1.4(a), 1.4(b), 1.4(c), 1.5(a), 1.5(b), 1.8(f), 1.15(a), and 1.15(c).

Board Report and Orders (November 16, 2020)

Summary: In re Kathleen A. Dolan. Bar No. 428925. November 16, 2020. The Board on Professional Responsibility recommended that the D.C. Court of Appeals suspend Dolan for nine months with the requirements that she take a practice management course, complete six hours of continuing legal education on trust account management, and serve one year of probation under the supervision of a practice monitor. Her failure to cooperate with the practice monitor would result in revocation of her probation with a requirement that she demonstrate fitness before reinstatement. Dolan’s husband and sole law partner was the lead counsel for the litigation and settlement of a collective action. Together with her husband, Dolan represented more than 100 current and former security officers with wage claims against their employer. They settled the case without informing their clients of the settlement terms and took two-thirds of the settlement proceeds for their attorney’s fees without their clients’ knowledge or approval. While the Board found that Dolan’s law partner acted purposefully and dishonestly, the Board concluded that Dolan acted negligently and that she misappropriated the clients’ settlement funds. The Board further found various other violations, including mishandling of her trust account up until at least the time of the hearing. (Rules 1.2(a), 1.4(a), 1.4(b), 1.4(c), 1.5(b), and 1.8(f) in Count I and Rules 1.15(a), 1.15(c), and 1.5(a) in Count II.)

Hearing Committee Report (July 31, 2019)

Summary: Not yet available.