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Leslie R. Bottimore (WSBA No. 29957, admitted 2000) of Tacoma, WA, was suspended for 14 months, effective 8/23/2024, by order of the Washington Supreme Court. Francisco Rodriguez acted as disciplinary counsel. David J. Elkanich represented Respondent. William J. Carlson was the hearing officer. Scott M. Ellerby was the settlement hearing officer.
The lawyer’s conduct violated the following Rules of Professional Conduct: 1.3 (Diligence), 1.4 (Communication), 1.5 (Fees), 1.6 (Confidentiality of Information), 1.15A (Safeguarding Property), 4.2 (Communication with Person Represented by Counsel), 8.4(a) (Prohibiting a lawyer from violating or attempting to violate the Rules of Professional Conduct, knowingly assisting or inducing another to do so, or doing so through the acts of another), 8.4(c) (Dishonesty, Fraud, Deceit or Misrepresentation), 8.4(d) (Prejudicial to the Administration of Justice).
Bottimore stipulated to suspension for: 1) failing to deposit advance fee payments received from clients into a trust account; 2) failing to timely communicate with clients regarding the legal fees that they had incurred; 3) failing to act with reasonable diligence in representing a client and failing to take reasonable steps to complete the dissolution and file a petition for modification of the client’s support obligations; 4) charging clients for work that was not performed, and charging a client at a lawyer rate for work performed by a nonlawyer; 5) offering inaccurate testimony under oath at a disciplinary deposition about work allegedly performed for a client; 6) taking funds held in trust for a client’s estate and using those funds to pay the client’s legal fees outside of the probate process, and giving priority to Respondent’s claim for fees over the claims of other creditors; 7) removing funds whose ownership was disputed from Respondent’s trust account to pay Respondent’s fees in the client’s matter without first resolving the underlying ownership dispute; 8) communicating with the opposing party in a dissolution matter about the subject of the representation without the consent of the relevant party’s lawyers, failing to take steps to ascertain whether the lawyer(s) of the opposing party consented to such communication, continuing to communicate with the opposing party after their lawyer(s) objected, and by directing a staff member to send a proposed stipulation directly to the opposing party; 9) disclosing confidential information relating to the representation of a client to the Better Business Bureau.
Decision documents: Disciplinary Board Order Approving Stipulation; Stipulation to Suspension; and Washington Supreme Court Order.
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