NOTICE OF REPRIMAND (By Consent)
Case No. 94-81-GA Mark T. Light, P-16673, Lansing, Michigan, by Attorney Discipline Board Ingham County Hearing Panel #3.
1) Reprimand; 2) Effective May 13, 1995. The respondent and the Grievance Administrator filed a stipulation for consent order of discipline pursuant to MCR 9.115(F)(5), which was approved by the hearing panel and the Attorney Grievance Commission.
Respondent was retained to represent two clients in employment discrimination litigation and instituted a suit in Ingham County Circuit Court. Respondent pled no contest to allegations that he failed to appear at a pre-trial conference; failed to respond timely to the opposing party's interrogatories; failed until approximately four months past the deadline to file a witness list; failed to engage in discovery or otherwise adequately prepare to present the case on his clients' behalf; in response to the opposing party's motion for summary disposition, he filed a brief which was late, over the page limit, and which was not specifically applicable to one client's case; after the court entered an order granting summary disposition, without one client's knowledge or consent, he filed an untimely motion for reconsideration; and failed to keep one client informed of hearing dates, failed to inform that client of the motion for summary disposition, and generally failed to keep that client reasonably apprised of the status of the matter.
Respondent's conduct was alleged to be in violation of MCR 9.104(1)-(4); and Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1(a)- (c); 1.3; 1.4; 3.2; and 8.4(a)and(c).
Costs were assessed in the amount of $57.75.