Biglaw

Attorney Suspended Over Ethics Violations, Says He Was 'In No Way Prepared' To Handle Biglaw

He blames depression for his ethical lapses.

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Dictionary Series – EthicsDaniel Michael Dixon, formerly counsel at the Biglaw firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, has been suspended from the practice of law by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for a year and a day after a number of ethical lapses.

As reported by the ABA Journal, Dixon failed to tell his client CSI International about an adverse ruling. He then missed the appeal deadline, and piled on the false statements to try and undo the damage.

According to the report, Dixon failed to disclose the June 2017 adverse ruling to the client and failed to meet a September 2017 deadline for appeal. For a period after the adverse decision, Dixon “on multiple occasions failed to reply to his client’s inquiries about the status of its case.” When he did reply in “purported updates,” he made misrepresentations.

Dixon falsely said he was “pulling together some materials” to “fast-track resolution of the appeal,” that the secretary of the body that hears appeals conceded the lien was in error and was “going to touch base with the appropriate folks,” that a successful resolution would be forthcoming, and that the appellate body “threw us a curveball” when it denied relief.

Dixon filed two false affidavits—one that he signed and one that he prepared for his assistant—to support his false claim that he didn’t receive the decision when it was issued, and he should be allowed to appeal.

Dixon never respond to the ethics allegations, which deemed them admitted. But he did testify at a hearing after the ethics committee found violations.

Dixon testified that he suffered from anxiety and depression following a breakup with his wife. That was compounded because he was “in no way prepared” to handle working at Morgan Lewis and he “testified that he ‘oversold’ his ability to be a practice group leader in the state and local tax area and was not prepared to come into the firm and build a team.”

In hindsight, Dixon thought that he should have taken more time off to address his mental health issues before accepting the position at Morgan Lewis.

“At the time,” the report said, Dixon “thought that his mental health issues were a weakness he could ‘power through.’ He recognizes now that his issues were not a problem he could handle on his own.”

Dixon had expressed remorse for his conduct and “described his actions as dishonest, inappropriate and a mistake,” according to the disciplinary board report. He has practiced law since 2006 and has no prior record of discipline.

Dixon worked at a small firm at the time of the disciplinary hearing, and says that better suits his needs. He’s also in therapy and has reconciled with his wife. He says he’s disappointed by the court’s decision:

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“As you can imagine, I am disappointed by the court’s order. I continue to take my mental health and the mental health of our legal community seriously and look forward to putting this issue and isolated incident behind me.”

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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