Thomas Lowe, Minnesota lawyer, knows had to add insult to injury.
Thomas Lowe, 58, has been suspended by the state of Minnesota for having an affair with a client he represented in her divorce and then billing her for sessions — that happened to coincide with times they were having sex.
The decision was filed Thursday. It will be a year and three months before Lowe has any chance for reinstatement. The attorney has been practicing since 1985 and allegedly knew the client for several years. She came to Lowe in August 2011 about divorcing her husband, at which time he decided to act as her lawyer.
Speaking over the phone a few days later, Lowe asked the woman about her sexual relationship with her husband. Despite Lowe’s own marriage, he inquired if she would be interested in having sex with him. The affair lasted until March. The billing forms show him charging legal services on dates that corresponded with sexual encounters. The times were coded as either meetings or drafting memos.
When Lowe wanted to break things off, allegedly showing concern for his marriage, he terminated their legal partnership.The following day the woman was hospitalized after a suicide attempt and divulged her relationship with Lowe as she was recovering. Allegedly the woman has a history with abuse and mental health treatment.
The headline says “Cincinnati lawyer” but the story mentions Minnesota so I don’tknow if he’s dually licensed in Ohio and Minnesota or if there is a Cincinnati, MN or what. Having sex with a client is against most states’ professional responsibility rules (as opposed to ethics — a whole ‘nother post) — the billing this is doubly bad and might be fraud under criminal statutes. Lawyers always joke about being whores… looks like this one would be correctly labeled.
She showed him her briefs, and he recommended a merger.
Floyd, Loyal Goatherd mentioned this here:
Loyal Goatherd
January 18, 2013 at 6:19 AM • Reply
The Flipside of that.
And I just want you to know that I did not participate in the lawyer bashing free-for-all that the others engaged in. If you hear a clinking sound, it’s the dime I’m dropping.
oh well… I can’t pick out everything from 183 comments and I can only hat tip those from whom I see things. Great minds and all that.
I don’t know how you keep up with us as well as you do!! I just hope they come up with more and better lawyer jokes here, don’t you?
Kissing up is not the same as “drafting!”
If I had told one of those lawyer jokes, (like someone I know), I’d kiss up a little. Just sayin’.
Loyal Goatherd and I have no shame when it comes to lawyer jokes! We don’t claim they’re good. We simply print the news!
Besides I’m hat tip deprived by my lawyer………..
You shouldda kissed up better. Practice your pucker.
Better not let this one poll the jury…
Question: Why don’t lawyers go to the beach?
Answer: Cats keep trying to bury them.
Question: What do lawyers use for birth control?
Answer: Their personalities.
Question: Why does California have the most lawyers, and New Jersey the most toxic waste dumps?
Answer: New Jersey got first pick.
What’s the difference between a lawyer and a catfish?
One’s a scum-sucking bottom feeder and the other one’s a fish!
It was so cold here the other day I actually saw a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets!
Reminds me of a story. An Army friend of mine and his wife went to Army sponsored marriage counciling and a few months into it he figured out that the marriage counciler was having sex with his wife.
I know a fellow to whom the same thing happened. I guess counselors don’t have to take the Hippocratic Oath.