Legal Ethics Practice

Sullivan Ward provides strong counsel and vigorous representation on behalf of legal professionals against claims alleging breaches of the standards of legal ethics and professional conduct. Backed by years of experience serving within the Attorney Grievance Commission, the prosecutorial arm of the Supreme Court related to attorney discipline, our legal team represents attorneys, judges, and applicants to the bar in matters involving claims of violations of legal ethics, including:

• Neglect and Lack of Communication
• Financial negligence or mismanagement, including comingling of funds
• Solicitation, including misleading, deceptive or fraudulent advertising
• Malpractice, including breach of duty and/or confidentiality, and damages
• Other claims involving failure to uphold the Rules of Professional Conduct

Sullivan Ward’s Legal Ethics Practice Team Leader, Todd McConaghy, served for 8.5 years as a Senior Associate Counsel to the Attorney Grievance Commission, where he investigated and prosecuted cases of attorney misconduct.

Team member Robert E. Edick served as the Commission’s deputy administrator for 25 years. In addition to his supervisory role, he led the defense of the Commission in state and Federal court cases, and in numerous superintending control complaints filed against the Commission in the Supreme Court. He also represented the Commission as appellate counsel in several calendar cases argued before the Supreme Court. Among these was a notable case in which the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Michigan’s civility rules [Grievance Administrator v. Fieger, 476 Mich 231 (2006)].

Our team will guide you at every step of the discipline process, including in matters involving:

• Issuance of ethics opinions
• Personal interviews and hearings before the Character and Fitness Committee of the State Bar of Michigan
• Investigation by the Attorney Grievance Commission
• Formal complaints and appeals before the Attorney Discipline Board
• Investigations and complaints by the Judicial Tenure Commission
• Appeals to the Supreme Court