| ► Attorney Ronald Saper of Phoenix; ethical elf |
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Attorney Ronald Saper of Phoenix; ethical elf
The state of Arizona presented Ronald A. Saper with a law license in 1973 after he graduated from the University of Missouri Law School.
The Arizona State Bar found Ronald guilty of engaging in the following misconduct.
In one matter, Philip was hired in a divorce matter wherein the client signed a fee agreement that provided for a $1,200 non-refundable retainer and provided that a minimum of 2.5 hours would be charged for the initial court filings at an hourly rate of $150. Subsequently, the client reconciled with her spouse allowing Philip to retrieve the court filings from the process server. The client then stopped payment on the $1,200 check. Philip then offered to accept $500 as his fee. The client said she would only pay for the services Philip actually performed. The client told the Bar investigators that she notified Philip of the reconciliation before he prepared any court filings.
Philip then filed a sham lawsuit in the justice court for the $1,200 when he believed at the time that his services were only worth $500. The client then filed an ethics complaint with the State Bar. Ronald submitted an accounting of the time he claims he spent on the client’s matter with the State Bar investigator. However, he included expenses and costs associated with his lawsuit against the client in the justice court matter.
As a consequence of his misconduct, the cheerleaders for Attorney Misfits sitting on the Arizona Supreme Court punished Ronald by gifting him with a complimentary censure.
As we speak (ca. November 2012) Ronald practices at 125 East Coronado in Phoenix, Arizona.
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