Divorce Train Wrecks, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Sex, Sex Scandals

When I Get That Feeling, I Want Sexual Billing

I didn't know you could bill for that.

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There is a woman out there who can literally say, “I got screwed by my attorney, and he charged me for it.”

That’s right, in an amazing cacophony of bad behavior, today we have a story about a lawyer who didn’t just have an inappropriate relationship with his client, he also billed her for the time they spent having illicit relations.

Bet you none of these would-be bros have pulled that off….

The story comes out of Eagan, Minnesota. It’s not going to surprise anybody if I tell you that this guy was a divorce lawyer, right? The lawyer is named Thomas Lowe, and the story is in the Pioneer Press:

Lowe, an attorney since 1985, had known the client for many years. Both are from Valley City, N.D. The woman met with Lowe in August 2011 to discuss pursuing a divorce from her husband.

He agreed to represent her. During a phone call days later, Lowe asked about her sexual relationship with her husband, commented on her appearance and asked if she was interested in sex with him.

The following month, they began an affair that lasted until March. At various points, Lowe billed the woman for legal services on the dates of their sexual encounters, coding the time as meetings or drafting memos.

Oh, and in case you don’t want to jump to the conclusion that the woman was taken advantage of in any way, there’s also this:

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In March, after several arguments with the woman about the affair and his own marriage, Lowe said he was breaking things off. Two days later, he said he was withdrawing as her attorney.

That day, the woman, who was considered vulnerable because of past abuse and mental health treatment, tried to kill herself. While hospitalized, she disclosed the affair.

Yeah, this guy is a true gentleman.

Lowe was suspended indefinitely. I think that’s probably because of the billing thing. It’s one thing to tell your wife, “I’m working late for a client,” when really you are working a client late into the night. But to actually charge the client for the time you spend servicing her is outrageous.

It takes a really weird situation to make this true, but in this case, buying a prostitute would show much more respect for women than what this guy apparently did.

Eagan lawyer suspended after affair with client [Pioneer Press]

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