Attorney Grievance Commission v. Lawson, 428 Md. 102

In 2007, this Court suspended Lawson for improper efforts to increase a fee by threatening withdrawal after beginning representation, leading to disbarment for pre-suspension fee misconduct.
The Attorney Grievance Commission charged Lawson with multiple MLRPC violations arising from his representation of Fields in a divorce and property division.
Judge Cahill conducted a hearing, made findings of fact, and concluded Lawson violated 1.2(a), 1.5(a), 1.8(a), 1.15(a), and 8.4(a)-(d) while finding no 1.1 violation; Lawson did not participate in the hearing.
Lawson’s fee practices included excessive hours for a modest matter, billing for clerical tasks at full rate, and a disputed fee settlement that favored Lawson.
There was a disputed lien agreement on proceeds, failure to refund a van title, and misrepresentations about disciplinary status; the Court affirmed disbarment based on ethics violations and aggravating factors.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Whether Lawson violated 1.1/competent representation	Commission contends lack of competence due to poor handling	Lawson argues no deficiency in knowledge or preparation	No violation of 1.1 established
Whether Lawson violated 1.2(a) on client-decided objectives and actions	Fields’ objectives were not properly pursued; discovery actions supported	Fields misunderstood discovery; representation limited to divorce	No 1.2 violation found
Whether Lawson violated 1.5 on unreasonable fees	Fees were excessive relative to services	Original rate reasonable; total charged was disputed	Violation of 1.5 established
Whether Lawson violated 1.8(a) by business transaction with client	Lien on proceeds was improper	Transaction within the fee dispute context	Violation of 1.8 established
Whether Lawson violated 1.15(a) by safeguarding client property	Failed to segregate funds and return property	Dispute resolved by settlement; no ongoing dispute established	Violation of 1.15 established
Whether Lawson violated 8.4 by misconduct (dishonesty, etc.)	Disciplinary violations and deceit in handling fees	N/A or not specific	Violation of 8.4 established

Attorney Grievance Comm’n v. Lawson, 401 Md. 536 (Md. 2007) (precedent on fee disputes and disciplinary consequences)
Attorney Grievance Comm’n v. Roberson, 373 Md. 328 (Md. 2003) (unreasonable-fee framework and fee-interest concerns)
Attorney Grievance v. Lara, 418 Md. 355 (Md. 2011) (disbarment for improper retention of fees and communications during investigation)
Attorney Grievance Comm’n v. Zuckerman, 386 Md. 341 (Md. 2005) (multiplicity of aggravating factors in sanctions)