The State Bar Association of North Dakota Spring 2014 Gavel Magazine | Page 35

the trial, and determined it to be improper.
In the second and third matters, Summers
represented two clients in their respective
divorce actions. Summers did not timely
notify her clients of the order suspending
her from the practice of law, as required
by the rules. In one case, the client learned
of the suspension when Summers filed a
motion to withdraw from the case. In the
other, Summers did not notify her client
of her suspension until after her trial
was concluded. Although the suspension
was effective after the trial, the order of
suspension was filed prior to the trial.
The hearing panel concluded Summers
violated N.D.R. Prof. Conduct 1.1, 1.3,
1.4, 3.4(c), 8.4(c) and N.D.R. Lawyer
Discip. 6.3(A). When recommending a
one-year suspension, the hearing panel
considered Summers’ prior disciplinary
offenses, her pattern of misconduct and
her substantial experience in the practice
of law as aggravating factors. It considered
her cooperative attitude towards the
proceedings as a mitigating factor. The
Supreme Court accepted