Attorney Allison Bergman of Kansas City, MO; ethical gremlin

The state of Missouri presented Allison Layton Bergman with a law license in 2003 after she graduated from the University of San Diego Law School.

The Office of Disciplinary Counsel found Allison guilty of the following misconduct.

• Conflict of interest involving current clients
• Engaged in conduct involving fraud, deceit, dishonesty or misrepresentation
• Conflict of interest involving prohibited transactions
• Violations of rules regarding attorney fees

Shortly after she graduated from law school, Allison was hired as an associate with Lathrop & Gage, and later became a partner and then a member of the firm’s executive committee. After a year with Lathrop, Allison began performing services for Kansas City Terminal Railway (KCT, a Lathrop client for nearly a 100 years.

Subsequently, Allison was appointed to serve as outside general counsel of KCT, which made he “responsible for overseeing all legal services needed by KCT,” which included allowing KCT’s former president, Chuck Mader, to get into her into her “briefs.”

Unbeknownst to Lathrop and KCT’s board was that Allison and Mader were romantically involved for several years. They also were unaware that Allison had been performing legal services on Mader’s external businesses, some of which directly conflicted with her representation of KTC.

The personal and sexual relationship between Allison and Mader continued for at least eleven (11) years. The relationship was nonexistent prior to Allison’s association with Lathrop.

As a consequence of her misconduct, the enablers for Attorney Misfits sitting on Disciplinary Counsel punished Allison by gifting her with a complimentary stayed 1-year suspension of her law license.

In truth, the comedians sitting on the Disciplinary Counsel didn’t mete out any meaningful punishment to Allison.

As we speak (ca. July 2015), Allison practices at 1125 Blvd in Kansas City, Missouri.