In the Disciplinary Matter Involving Vollintine

673 P.2d 755, 1983 Alas. LEXIS 499
CourtAlaska Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 10, 1983
Docket6984
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 673 P.2d 755 (In the Disciplinary Matter Involving Vollintine) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Alaska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In the Disciplinary Matter Involving Vollintine, 673 P.2d 755, 1983 Alas. LEXIS 499 (Ala. 1983).

Opinions

OPINION

PER CURIAM.

This is a disciplinary proceeding against an attorney, James F. Vollintine. Vollin-tine is accused of professional misconduct, consisting of statements that he made in letters to two federal officials. We conclude that Vollintine’s conduct was improper, and sufficiently serious to require public censure by this court.

The proceeding against Vollintine was initiated by the Alaska Bar Association, following receipt of a complaint from Jack M. Allen, Regional Solicitor for the United States Department of the Interior. Allen complained of statements contained in a letter from Vollintine to George Gustafson, Townsite Trustee for the Bureau of Land Management, copies of which had been sent to Allen and others. [Appendix A] The letter was dated December 2, 1980.

At the time that he wrote the letter, Vollintine represented the plaintiffs in a federal quiet title and ejectment action, involving a dispute over lands in and around certain Alaska Native villages. See Alek-nagik Natives Ltd. v. Andrus, 648 F.2d 496 (9th Cir.1980). The defendants in that action included the Secretary of the Interior, Gustafson and others.

In his letter, Vollintine accused Gustafson and another B.L.M. official of “perjury,” asserted that the Secretary of the Interior had committed fraud, alleged that Allen was “cheating and lying” in briefs filed in federal court, and complained of other forms of wrongdoing on the part of federal officials. He warned that Gustafson and Allen might find themselves “criminally liable” and “personally liable in tort,” stating: “If [you] . .. and Allen think you are going to walk away from this townsite matter unscathed, you are wrong.”

In a second letter, dated February 5, 1981, Vollintine wrote to James Watt, Secretary of the Interior. [Appendix B] Vol-lintine criticized Gustafson, Allen and Curt McVee, another department official, stating [757]*757that McVee “is a complete incompetent, ... responsible for screwing up land titles in Alaska, ... a blatant racist, ... [and a person who] constantly creates friction between [Alaska] Natives and non-Natives.” Allen was also labelled “an incompetent” and “a pathological liar,” and was said to have “the reputation of supporting any position of the local B.L.M. office no matter how deceitful or contrary to law.” Gustaf-son, Allen and McVee were all described as “lifer parasites” who should be replaced.

The Disciplinary Board of the Alaska Bar Association,1 adopting a Hearing Committee recommendation, concluded that Vollin-tine was guilty of unprofessional conduct worthy of public censure. [Appendix C] Specifically, the Board found that his actions violated Disciplinary Rules 1-102(A)(5), 7-102(A)(l), and 7-105(A), of the Code of Professional Responsibility. The matter was then submitted to this court, pursuant to Rule II — 15(j), Alaska Bar Rules.

JURISDICTIONAL ISSUES

Vollintine raises three “jurisdictional” issues, contending: (1) that the Hearing Committee was improperly constituted because of the method of the selection of its members; (2) that he is not subject to discipline under the Alaska Bar Rules in this instance, because his alleged misconduct related to matters within the jurisdiction of a federal tribunal; and (3) that Allen, one of those about whom he wrote, is not admitted to practice in Alaska and, therefore, was not entitled to the same treatment due opposing counsel. We have reviewed each of these arguments and conclude that they are entirely without merit.2

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Likewise, we reject Vollintine’s claim that the imposition of discipline in this instance violates his right of free speech.

In Gregoire v. National Bank of Alaska, 418 P.2d 27, 48 (Alaska 1967), this court administered a public reprimand when an attorney “employed abusive and intemperate language in his brief and ... accused the trial court and opposing counsel of unethical and underhanded conduct.” Here, the situation is much the same.3 We subscribe to the view stated by Justice Stewart, in his concurring opinion in In Re Sawyer, 360 U.S. 622, 79 S.Ct. 1376, 3 L.Ed.2d 1473 (1959):

[A] lawyer belongs to a profession with inherited standards of propriety and hon- or, which experience has shown necessary in a calling dedicated to the accomplishment of justice. He who would follow that calling must conform to those standards.
Obedience to ethical precepts may require abstention from what in other circumstances might be constitutionally protected speech.

[758]*758360 U.S. at 646-47, 79 S.Ct. at 1388, 3 L.Ed.2d at 1489.4

DUE PROCESS

Vollintine also complains that the Disciplinary Rules under which he was cited are overbroad and void for vagueness. The Bar Association argues that those rules incorporate a “reasonable attorney” standard, which gave Vollintine adequate notice of the type of conduct prohibited. See Committee on Professional Ethics v. Durham, 279 N.W.2d 280 (Iowa 1979) (DR 1-102(A)(6) held not void for vagueness).

The Code of Professional Responsibility is necessarily written in broad terms. It would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to develop standards specifically detailing all forms of attorney misconduct. Although capable of broad interpretation, we believe the meaning of the Disciplinary Rules cited in this case is sufficiently clear to satisfy the requirements of due process.

ETHICAL VIOLATIONS

The Disciplinary Board, as did the Hearing Committee, found that Vollintine’s letter of December 2,1980, violated Disciplinary Rule 7-105(A): “A lawyer shall not ... threaten to present criminal charges solely to obtain an advantage in a civil matter.” This finding, we believe, is supported by the record.

The threat of criminal charges is implicit in the language used. Moreover, we can perceive of no purpose for the letter other than to influence the B.L.M.’s handling of a non-Native application for land in the Village of Aleknagik, the rejection of which would provide an advantage to Vollintine’s clients. Such conduct, we believe, was well within the purview of DR 7-105(A).5

Vollintine was also found to have violated Disciplinary Rule 1-102(A)(5): “A lawyer shall not ... [ejngage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice.” Again, we believe this finding is supported by the record.

There can be little question that his letters served only to make an already difficult situation worse. The natural consequence of those letters would be to cause an even greater deterioration in the relationship between his clients and their opponents. Regardless of the merits of his position, or that of his clients, a lawyer’s use of such tactics is necessarily prejudicial to the orderly administration of justice.

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In the Disciplinary Matter Involving Vollintine
673 P.2d 755 (Alaska Supreme Court, 1983)

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