| Description: |
Robert M. Keefe (WSBA No. 5222, admitted 1973) of Seattle, WA, resigned in lieu of discipline, effective 6/16/2026. The lawyer agrees that they are aware of the alleged misconduct in disciplinary counsel’s Statement of Alleged Misconduct and rather than defend against the allegations, they wish to permanently resign from membership in the Association. Francisco Rodriguez acted as disciplinary counsel. Christopher J. Mainard represented Respondent.
The Statement of Alleged Misconduct reflects the following violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct: 1.15A (Safeguarding Property), 1.15B (Required Trust Account Records), 5.3 (Responsibilities Regarding Nonlawyer Assistants), 8.4(c) (Dishonesty, Fraud, Deceit or Misrepresentation), 8.4(d) (Prejudicial to the Admin of Justice) and 8.4(l) (ELC violation).
Keefe’s alleged misconduct includes: 1) using client funds to cover checks Respondent had issued to other clients and/or improperly collecting wire transfer fees from a client and/or improperly rounding
Respondent's fee upward, 2) disbursing funds from Respondent's trust account before Respondent
received the corresponding deposits and/or disbursing funds to clients in excess of the funds the clients had on deposit in Respondent's trust account, 3) commingling Respondent's funds with client funds in Respondent's trust account, 4) failing to maintain a complete and accurate check register for Respondent's
trust account, 5) failing to maintain complete and accurate client ledgers, 6) failing to properly reconcile the check register to the bank statements and/or failing to properly reconcile the check register to the combined total of all client ledgers, 7) failing to make reasonable efforts to supervise Respondent's staff and/or the person handling Respondent's trust account, 8) submitting one or more false statements to ODC regarding Respondent's withdrawal of Respondent's funds from Respondent's trust account in 2016, 9) submitting one or more false statements to ODC and/or a Review Committee of the Disciplinary Board regarding Respondent's practice of issuing post-dated checks to clients, 10) disbursing funds from Respondent's trust account before Respondent received the corresponding deposits during the period from December 1, 2017, to January 31, 2020, 11) disbursing funds to clients in excess of the funds the clients had on deposit in Respondent's trust account during the period from December 1, 2017, to January 31, 2020, 12) failing to maintain complete and accurate client ledgers during the period from January 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025, 13) withdrawing client funds from trust to which Respondent was not entitled, for
Respondent's own use, during the period from January l, 2024, to April 30, 2025, 14) failing to properly reconcile the trust account check register balance to the combined total of all client ledgers during the period from January 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025, 15) failing to make reasonable efforts to supervise person handling Respondent's trust account during the period from January 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025.
Decision document: Resignation Form of Robert M. Keefe ELC 9.3(b).
|