| ► Attorney Miklos Pongratz of Raymond, ME; ethical misfit |
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Attorney Miklos Pongratz of Raymond, ME; ethical misfit
The state of Maine presented Miklos M. Pongratz with a law license in 2004 after he graduated from Western New England Law School.
The Maine Grievance Commission found Miklos guilty of the following misconduct.
In one matter Miklos was hired to represent Mrs. Bruton following a serious assault upon her by her husband. The fee agreement called for Miklos to represent Bruton in a divorce action.
After several months, Bruton realized that the divorce was not progressing as quickly as she anticipated. She became increasingly concerned with the rising legal fees she continued to incur. Miklos agreed that he would request an “attorney fee award” from the trial court, thereby obligating the husband to pay his fees. The divorce case did not progress to the point at which the husband would have been ordered by the court to pay Miklos’ attorney fees.
Subsequently, Bruton instructed Miklos to stop the divorce proceeding. Two weeks later Bruton and her husband executed a stipulation to dismiss the divorce case, which also ended Miklos’ representation of Bruton.
After he was discharged, Bruton filed an ethics complaint claiming that Miklos failed to properly prosecute her divorce, and that he overcharged her for his work and failed to properly expedite her divorce. Miklos subsequently filed a small claims lawsuit against Bruton due to her failure to pay the balance of his claimed attorney fees. A Panel of the Fee Arbitration Commission conducted a hearing and issued a decision that reduced Miklos’ legal bill by about $3,800, leaving a remaining balance of $7,900.
As a consequence of her misconduct, the cheerleaders for Attorney Misfits sitting on the grievance panel punished Miklos by gifting him with a complimentary reprimand.
As we speak (October 2012) Miklos practices with Pongratz Law, P.C. in Raymond, Maine.
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