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Michael J. Reed (2020)
THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
SUPREME COURT
ORDER LD-2020-0004, In the Matter of Michael J. Reed, Esquire On September 19, 2019, in case no. LD-2019-001 1, the court suspended the respondent, Attorney Michael J. Reed, on an interim basis in response to an assented-to petition filed by the Attorney Discipline Office (ADO). The assented- to petition for interim suspension asserted that Attorney Reed “has abandoned client matters by failing to attend scheduled court hearings, failing to respond to clients and opposing counsel, and causing harm to clients, ” and it included reference to Attorney Reed’s acknowledgement that he “is not currently able to competently represent clients due to recent personal and family issues.” On March 10, 2020, the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) filed a petition in this matter recommending that Attorney Reed be suspended from the practice of law for one year. In accordance with Rule 37(16)(c), the court provided notice to Attorney Reed of that recommendation and ordered him to file a response on or before April 24, 2020, identifying any legal or factual issues relating to the PCC’s recommendation that he wished the court to review. The court’s order of notice, along with the PCC’s recommendation, was sent to Attorney Reed by first-class and certified mail at the latest address provided by him to the New Hampshire Bar Association. See Rule 42 E(c). The court’s order of notice, along with the PCC’s recommendation, was also sent to him at the e-mail address that the PCC provided to the court. Attorney Reed did not file a response to the PCC’s recommendation. In the disciplinary matter that gives rise to the pending recommendation for a one-year suspension, Attorney Reed did not respond to the ADO’s requests for information during its investigation and did not attend a scheduled sanction hearing before a PCC panel. The PCC found that Attorney Reed violated the following Rules of Professional Conduct.
1. Rule 8.1(b), which provides that a lawyer in connection with a disciplinary matter shall not knowingly fail to respond to a lawful demand for information from a disciplinary authority; and
2. Rule 8.1(c), which provides that a lawyer in connection with a disciplinary matter shall not fail to attend a hearing when ordered to do so by a disciplinary authority.
After reviewing the PCC’s recommendation and record, the court accepts the PCC’s findings and its recommendation that Attorney Reed be suspended from the practice of law in New Hampshire for a period of one year. Accordingly, the court orders as follows: (1) Attorney Michael J. Reed is suspended from the practice of law in New Hampshire for a period of one year. (2) Attorney Reed is ordered to reimburse the Attorney Discipline Office for all costs and expenses incurred by the attorney discipline system in the investigation and prosecution of this matter. Hicks, Bassett, Hantz Marconi, and Donovan, JJ., concurred. DATE: August 25, 2020 sre Na Dud Timothy A. Gudas, Clerk
Distribution: Elizabeth M. Murphy, Esq. Michael J. Reed, Esq. Professional Conduct Committee File