► Attorney Stuart Melnick of New York City; ethical ogre, serial offender

The state of Connecticut provided Stuart L. Melnick with a law license in 1988 after he graduated from Temple University Law School.

The Connecticut Statewide Greivance Committee has found and ruled that Stu engaged in the following misconduct over the period of several years as set forth below.

Stu’s 1^st bite at the Attorney Misfit Apple Tree – May 2011

• Failed to pay Client Security Fund fee as required

As a direct consequence of his misconduct, the enablers for Attorney Misfits sitting on Statewide Greivance Committee punished Stu by suspending his license to practice law.

Stu’s 2^nd bite at the Attorney Misfit Apple Tree – March 2013

• Stu’s fee agreement called for flat fee of $750 + 10% of settlement
• Stu settled client’s case of $10,000 and took a fee of $2,940 (29.4% of settlement)
• According to fee agreement, Stu only entitled to addition $1,000 of settlement funds (10%)
• The $2,950 was in addition to the $750 paid by client
• Stu based the $2,950 as an hourly fee charge
• When client complained re: $2,950, Stu reimbursed her $1,175 but refused to pay the balance of $825
• Stu refused to honor the fee agreement calling for flat fee of $750 + 10% of settlement, which meant he was lawfully entitled to $1,750 per said fee contract
• Stu never provided ethics investigators with any written fee agreement indicating the parties agreed to modify the originally agreed-upon legal fee
• Failed to promptly deliver settlement funds to client
• Engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice
• Made a statement that he knew to be false or with reckless disregard as to its truth or falsity concerning the qualifications or integrity of a judge, adjudicatory officer or public legal officer

The reckless and/or false statement Stu was adjudged guilty of making was:

“What I will not do is continue to subject myself to the utterly corrupt Connecticut Statewide Grievance Committee.”

As of December 2016, no decision as to the imposition of discipline had yet been given regarding the March 2015 findings of the Statewide Grievance Committee.

Stu’s 3^rd bite at the Attorney Misfit Apple Tree – June 2014

• Failed to pay annual Client Security Fund fee as required

As a direct consequence of his misconduct, the enablers for Attorney Misfits sitting on Statewide Greivance Committee punished Stu by suspending his license to practice law.

Stu’s 4^th bite at the Attorney Misfit Apple Tree – August 2013

• Failed to pay annual Client Security Fund fee as required

As a direct consequence of his misconduct, the enablers for Attorney Misfits sitting on Statewide Greivance Committee punished Stu by suspending his license to practice law.

As we speak (ca. December 2016) Al practices with the Law Offices of Stuart L. Melnick LLC at 315 Madison Avenue in New York, New York.