MEMBERS LOUANN VAN DER WIELE CHAIRPERSON REV. MICHAEL MURRAY VICE-CHAIRPERSON BARBARA WILLIAMS FORNEY SECRETARY JAMES A. FINK JOHN W. INHULSEN
JONATHAN E. LAUDERBACH KAREN D. O'DONOGHUE MICHAEL B. RIZIK, JR. LINDA S. HOTCHKISS, MD
STATE OF MICIDGAN ATTORNEY DISCIPLINE BOARD
211 WEST FORT STREET, SUITE 1410
DETROIT, MICHIGAN 48226-3236 PHONE: 313-963-5553 I FAX: 313-963-5571
MARK A. ARMITAGE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WENDY A. NEELEY DEPUTY DIRECTOR KAREN M. DALEY ASSOCIATE COUNSEL SHERRY L. MIFSUD OFFICE ADMIN/STRA TOR
ALLYSON M. PLOURDE CASE MANAGER OWEN R. MONTGOMERY CASE MANAGER JULIE M. LOISELLE RECEPTIONISTISECRETARY
NOTICE OF DISBARMENT AND RESTITUTION Case No. 17-30-GA Notice Issued: January 11,2018 Alexander E. Kuhne, P 41382, Birmingham, Michigan, by the Attorney Discipline Board Tri County Hearing Panel #77.
Disbarred, Effective January 9,2018. Based on respondent's default, the hearing panel found that respondent committed professional misconduct by failing to safeguard funds entrusted to him by a client, failing to timely provide proper and complete estate planning documents to another client, and by failing to respond to two requests for investigation and failing to respond to petitioner's subpoena and demand for production of documents.
Specifically, the panel found that respondent failed to provide competent representation to his client with regard to her legal matters, in violation of MRPC 1.1; neglected a legal matter entrusted to him, in violation of MRPC 1.1(c); failed to seek the lawful objectives of a client through reasonably available means permitted by law, in violation of MRPC 1.2(a); failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness, in violation of MRPC 1.3; failed to keep a client reasonably informed about the status of the matter and comply promptly with reasonable requests for information, in violation of M RPC 1.4(a); failed to explain a matter to the extent reasonably necessary to permit a client to make informed decisions regarding the representation, in violation of MRPC 1.4(b); failed to promptly payor deliver funds that the client is entitled to receive an failed to promptly provide a full accounting of such funds, in violation of MRPC 1.15(b)(3); failed to hold client funds in connection the representation in an IOL TA or non-IOL TA trust account, and failed to appropriately safeguard such funds, in violation of MRPC 1.15(d); upon termination, failed to surrender papers to which the client is entitled, in violation of MRPC 1.16(d); knowingly failed to respond to a lawful demand for information from a disciplinary authority, in violation of MRPC 8.1 (a)(2); and failed to answer two requests for investigation, in violation of MCR 9.113(A) and MCR 9.104(7). Respondent was also found to have violated MCR 9.104(2) and (3), and MRPC 8.4(b).
The panel ordered that respondent be disbarred from the practice of law in Michigan and that he pay restitution to the two complainants in the total amount of $127,473.00. Costs were assessed in the amount of $2,517.48.
Ma~ Mark A. Armitage Executive Director