LITTLE ROCK — Attorneys in Hope, Little Rock and Russellville have been suspended from practicing law by the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct, the committee said.
They are Claudene Arrington of Hope, Marquis E. Jones of Little Rock and Richard H. Young of Russellville.
The committee said it suspended Young’s Arkansas law license for 24 months “based on, in part, and enhanced on a consideration of [his] disciplinary history.”
The committee said Young violated six rules of professional conduct in his representation of Peggy Prose of Russellville from 2004-2008. She hired him after she suffered a shoulder injury when she was a passenger in a vehicle that was rear-ended on an entrance ramp of I-630 in Little Rock, the committee’s report said. She has no copyof any written fee agreement with Young, the committee said.
She underwent surgery on her shoulder, now has a disability in her arm, and had medical bills of more than $25,000, which were paid by her insurance company, the committee said.
Young filed suit for Prose in this matter in October 2007 and he had a summons issued, but Young attempted service on the at-fault driver only by mail and never got it served, the committee said. In May 2008, an order was filed dismissing Prose’s lawsuit for failure to obtain service, and Prose did not learn of this dismissal from Young, the committee said. Then, Prose went to another Russellville attorney for assistance in this matter and they have been unable to revive her lawsuit and claim, the committee said.
In another decision, the committee said Arrington’s license is suspended for six months.
Arrington reported to the committee in a letter dated April 26 that she has agreed in a settlement of a disciplinary case to a suspension of her Texas law license for 60 months, with six months to be “active suspension” and 54 months of “probated suspensions on conditions.” The requirements for imposing a reciprocal sanction in Arkansas have been met, the committee said.
In a third decision, the committee said it has imposed an interim suspension of Jones’ privilege to practice law under his Arkansas license. He was charged in September with rule violations on a complaint filed by Elizabeth Shaneyfelt of Manila, and a panel voted July 16 to initiate disbarment proceedings against him, the committee said.
In other matters, the committee said it reprimanded attorney Jimmy Ray Baxter of Benton and attorney Joseph D. Hughes of Paragould, who also was fined $1,000. It also has cautioned attorney Darrell W. Johnson of Fort Smith.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 07/24/2010