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LeAnne Koliha (WSBA No. 18366, admitted 1988), of Bothell, was ordered censured pursuant to a stipulation approved by the Disciplinary Board on May 15, 2000. This discipline is based on her practicing law while her license was suspended.
Matter 1: On June 18, 1996, a client went to Ms. Koliha’s home office and requested that she appear at a hearing for her the next day. Ms. Koliha prepared pleadings that evening and appeared in court the next day to represent the client. In August 1996, opposing counsel filed a motion requesting an order requiring Ms. Koliha’s client to produce discovery. Ms. Koliha delivered the discovery answers and documents to opposing counsel’s office before the date of the hearing. Opposing counsel did not strike the hearing, because counsel believed that the discovery was incomplete, nor did she tell Ms. Koliha that she had not stricken the motion.
The arbitrator entered an order finding Ms. Koliha’s absence "unexcused," imposing sanctions of $150 each against Ms. Koliha and the client, and rescheduling the arbitration. Opposing counsel filed a motion in superior court to have Ms. Koliha and her client held in contempt for failing to provide complete discovery and failing to appear at the prior hearing. Ms. Koliha did not inform her client of this motion. Between September 16 and September 24, 1996, the client was not able to reach Ms. Koliha. On September 26, 1996, the client asked Ms. Koliha to return the client’s original financial documents. Ms. Koliha told the client that she had produced the original documents to opposing counsel.
Matter 2: Client X divorced two abusive husbands and then changed her name and the names of her children to prevent her former husbands from locating her. Although the client’s Office of Support Enforcement (OSE) file was marked confidential, the office twice disclosed her new identity to her former husbands.
The Northwest Women’s Law Center referred client X to Ms. Koliha regarding her claim that OSE wrongfully revealed her identity. In April 1995, Ms. Koliha agreed to investigate the case, pro bono, and possibly file a negligence action. On August 30, 1995, the client signed a contingent fee agreement with Ms. Koliha. From June through November 1996, the client was not able to reach Ms. Koliha. In November or December 1996, shortly after discovering that Ms. Koliha had never filed suit against OSE, client X retained another lawyer.
Ms. Koliha’s conduct violated RPC 1.3, requiring lawyers to diligently represent their clients; and 1.4, requiring lawyers to keep their clients informed about the status of their cases and promptly comply with reasonable requests for information.
Leslie Allen represented the Bar Association. Ms. Koliha represented herself.
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