Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland v. Yolanda Massaabioseh Thompson, Misc. Docket AG No. 53, September Term 2017. Opinion by Hotten, J. ATTORNEY DISCIPLINE — SANCTIONS — SUSPENSION The Court of Appeals suspended Respondent, Yolanda Massaabioseh Thompson, a member of the District of Columbia Bar, for a period of sixty days, with reinstatement subject to appropriate documentation providing that Respondent has completed a course for solo practitioners, with an emphasis on the responsible maintenance of an attorney trust account. Respondent violated Maryland Attorneys’ Rules of Professional Conduct 19- 301.1, 19-301.3, 19-301.4, 19-301.5(a), 19-301.15(a), (b), (c), and (d), 19-301.16(d), 19- 305.5(b), 19-308.1(a) and (b), and 19-308.4(a), (c), and (d). These violations stemmed from Respondent’s representation of a former client in a family law matter and from Respondent’s failure to adequately safeguard client funds. Despite Respondent’s multiple rule violations, the Court found a number of mitigating factors that warranted sixty-day suspension as the appropriate sanction for Respondent’s misconduct. Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County Case No. C-02-CV-17-003837 Argued: October 3, 2018 IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF MARYLAND Misc. Docket AG No. 53 September Term, 2017 __________________________________ ATTORNEY GRIEVANCE COMMISSION OF MARYLAND v. YOLANDA MASSAABIOSEH THOMPSON __________________________________ Barbera, C.J., Greene, *Adkins, McDonald, Watts, Hotten, Getty, JJ. __________________________________ Opinion by Hotten, J. Watts, J., concurs __________________________________ Filed: December 14, 2018 *Adkins, J., now retired, participated in the hearing and conference of this case while an active member of this Court; after being Pursuant to Maryland Uniform Electronic Legal Materials Act (§§ 10-1601 et seq. of the State Government Article) this document is authentic. recalled pursuant to the MD. Constitution, Article IV, Section 3A, she also 2018-12-14 09:46-05:00 participated in the decision and adoption of Suzanne C. Johnson, Clerk this opinion. On December 20, 2017, the Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland, acting through Bar Counsel (“Petitioner”), filed a Petition for Disciplinary or Remedial Action against Yolanda Massaabioseh Thompson (“Respondent”). The misconduct stemmed from Respondent’s representation of a former client, Ms. Norma Jean Bess. Specifically, Petitioner alleged that Respondent failed to represent Ms. Bess competently and diligently, failed to communicate with Ms. Bess regarding the status of her matter, failed to refund unearned fees in Ms. Bess’s matter, failed to safeguard client funds, abandoned Ms. Bess’s matter, practiced in a jurisdiction where she was not authorized to practice law, made a knowingly false statement of material fact, and failed to respond to lawful demands for information during Petitioner’s investigation. Based on the misconduct, Petitioner alleged violations of Maryland Attorneys’ Rules of Professional Conduct (“MARPC”) 19-301.1 (Competence), 19-301.3 (Diligence), 19-301.4 (Communication), 19-301.5(a) (Fees), 19- 301.15(a), (b), (c), and (d) (Safekeeping Property), 19-301.16(d) (Declining or Terminating Representation), 19-305.5(b) (Unauthorized Practice of Law), 19-308.1(a) and (b) (Disciplinary Matters), and 19-308.4(a), (c), and (d) (Misconduct). 1 On December 21, 2017, this Court transferred the matter to Judge Stacy Wiederle McCormack (“the hearing judge”) of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, to conduct an evidentiary hearing (“the hearing”). On January 11, 2018, Respondent was 1 Effective July 1, 2016, the ...
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