State Bar President Charged With Theft

Washington's former bar president accused of taking $26K.

One of the weirdest stories of 2017 was the abrupt resignation of Washington State Bar President Robin Haynes. Haynes, the youngest president in the organization’s history, resigned after a search warrant signaled that authorities were preparing to charge her with stealing significant funds from her former firm. At the time, even the Sheriff’s Office didn’t know what was going on with their own investigation.

Over a year later, we finally have some clarity as prosecutors filed formal charges against Haynes — selected filings available here — alleging that she misappropriated roughly $26,000 from both McNeice Wheeler — the Spokane firm that filed the bar complaint which kicked off this whole affair — and Witherspoon Kelley.

To think, I felt guilty taking soda out of the conference rooms.

Per the Spokesman-Review:

Haynes was not arrested, and her arraignment is set for the end of month, said Mark Gregory, a sheriff’s office spokesman.

She is accused of stealing about $26,000, according to court documents. In one instance, she charged a 10-month booking of a room to one of the law firms after she worked there, according to a KHQ-TV report.

Ten months in a hotel in Spokane sounds like a pitch for the world’s worst Quentin Tarantino movie. UPDATE: A tipster suggests that this is a mistake and that what really happened is Haynes booked a room 10 months after she left the firm — which makes more sense. It still feels like something more must be at play here. No one — certainly no lawyer — is dumb enough to think that a small firm won’t miss thousands of dollars being charged to a former attorney’s card. Right? Not to get all “legal tech guy,” but firms have a pretty good handle on their expenses these days.

I just have to believe for the sake of the profession that there’s more at play here. But maybe not.

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(Filings available on the next page…)

Former president of Washington State Bar Association charged with stealing from Spokane law firms [Spokesman-Review]

Earlier: President Of Washington Bar Association Resigns — Right Before The Criminal Charges


HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.

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