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Stephen Kenneth Monro (WSBA No. 26075, admitted 1996) of Snohomish, WA, was disbarred, effective 3/12/2026, by order of the Washington Supreme Court. Henry Cruz and Marsha Matsumoto acted as disciplinary counsel. Mr. Monro was represented on appeal by Peter Offenbecher, Beth Andrus, Jennifer Wellman, and Erin Newton, of Skellenger Bender, P.S., and Robert C. Owen, of the Law Offices of Robert C. Owen, LLC. David Bruce Condon was the settlement hearing officer. Joseph M. Mano JR was the hearing officer.
The lawyer’s conduct violated the following Rules of Professional Conduct: 1.3 (Diligence), 1.4 (Communication), 1.5 (Fees), 1.15A (Safeguarding Property), 1.15B (Required Trust Account Records), 4.1 (Truthfulness in Statements to Others), 8.1 (Bar Admission and Disciplinary Matters), 8.4(b) (Criminal Act), 8.4(c) (Dishonesty, Fraud, Deceit or Misrepresentation), 8.4(i) (Moral Turpitude, Corruption or Disregard of Rule of Law) and 8.4(l) (ELC violation).
The hearing officer recommended, and the court ordered, that Monro be disbarred from the practice of law in Washington State.
Monro was found to have violated the Rules of Professional Conduct by 1) using and converting client funds of SW, TC, KF, SA and the Estate of JK, 2) failing to deposit and maintain client funds in a trust account on multiple cases, 3) failing to promptly deliver funds to third persons, such as L&I liens in TC and SA 's cases, which they were entitled to receive, 4) using client funds on behalf of another and disbursing funds in excess of the amounts clients had on deposit in multiple cases, 5) failing to provide KF and SA with a billing statement or written notice of his intent to withdraw earned fees, 6) failing in contingent fee matters, including SA's matter, to provide clients with a written statement and/or an accurate written statement showing the outcome of the matter, including remittance to the client and the method of its determination, 7) failing to provide a written accounting after disbursing funds from trust in cases with SW, TC, KF and SA, 8) charging and collecting an unreasonable fee in the Estate of JK and SA's matters, 9) comingling his mother's and wife's funds and his own funds with client funds in a trust account, 10) failing to maintain complete and current trust account records in multiple cases, 11) making misrepresentations to ODC during a grievance investigation, testifying falsely at his deposition, and fabricating a document in SA's case, 12) making false statements to SA and JA, 13) making false statements to a representative of L&I, 14) using client funds owed to third persons such as in JD's case.
Decision documents: Hearing Officer’s Amended Decision; Disciplinary Board Order Adopting Hearing Officer’s Decision; and Washington Supreme Court Order.
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