State v. Ross

304 N.E.2d 396, 36 Ohio App. 2d 185, 65 Ohio Op. 2d 316, 1973 Ohio App. LEXIS 834
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 20, 1973
Docket72AP-229
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 304 N.E.2d 396 (State v. Ross) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Ross, 304 N.E.2d 396, 36 Ohio App. 2d 185, 65 Ohio Op. 2d 316, 1973 Ohio App. LEXIS 834 (Ohio Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

Whiteside, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the Franklin County Municipal Court.

Defendant was arrested on May 25, 1971, during a disturbance at Linden-McKinley High School in Columbus, Ohio. Three affidavits were filed against defendant as an outgrowth of this incident: (1) that he wilfully obstructed; *186 impeded and hampered the lawful operations of the safety director of the city of Colnmhns at the scene of an emergency, in violation of R. C. 2923.43; (2) that he did, on May 25,1971, npon being notified to depart from the premises of Linden-McKinley High School by a servant of said school, neglect and refuse to depart therefrom, in violation of R. C. 2909.21; and (3) that he, on the same date, did unlawfully assault Richard F. Dimel, in violation of R. C.. 2.901.25.

Defendant was originally represented by attorneys Bruce A. Campbell and William E. Boyland, and a pretrial was held on June 25, 1971. At this pretrial, motions filed by defendant were discussed and it was agreed that the case would not be assigned for trial until after the middle of September, 1971. The trial did not take place at that time and a second pretrial was held on March 10, 1972. At this time, R. Raymond Twohig, Jr., was added as one of the attorneys for defendant, and a motion was made to permit Mr. William Kunstler, an attorney in another state not admitted to practice in Ohio, to also appear on behalf of defendant, and also to permit the defendant to represent himself as co-counsel with the other counsel. Additional motions were also filed on behalf of defendant, and the case was set for trial on Monday, April 24,1972. The motions to permit Mr. Kunstler to appear as one of the attorneys for defendant was overruled, as was the motion to permit defendant to act as his own co-counsel.

The trial did not take place April 24, 1972, due in part to successful efforts on the part of defendant to have the trial judge presiding over the case replaced. A trial judge was selected by lot, and the case proceeded to trial on July 10, 1972. Prior to trial, the trial judge reviewed all the motions filed on behalf of defendant and reached the same conclusions as were originally reached. The new trial judge. Judge Reda, listened to extensive arguments on behalf of permitting Mr. Kunstler to represent defendant, and on the day of trial again overruled the motion. Defendant, thereupon, dismissed and discharged his three Ohio counsel, but the trial proceeded nevertheless. The trial resulted in a jury verdict of guilty to all three charges,

*187 Defendant appeals raising four assignments of error as follows:

“1. The trial court’s refusal to permit defendant to be represented by his experienced out-of-state attorney who is a member in good standing of numerous federal and state bars, and who stands convicted of no contempt of court and is without a disciplinary blemish on his record during years at the bar, violated defendant’s right to counsel of his choice under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution, as well as Article I, Section 10 of the Ohio Constitution, as well as the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, and was without factual or legal basis.

“2. The failure of the trial judge to treat as void the prior rulings in this case of another municipal judge who had been disqualified due to bias and prejudice and especially those rulings made after the filing of the Affidavit of Prejudice, violates the right to due process protected by the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Ohio Constitution, as well as Section 2937.20 of the Ohio Revised Code.

“3. The arrest of appellant for a misdemeanor by the Director of Public Safety is contrary to Section 2935.03 of the Ohio Revised Code.

“4. The conviction for failure to depart after being told to do so by Bruce P. Hennick is not supported by any evidence that Bruch [sic] P. Hennick instructed defendant to leave the premises in question.”

By his first assignment of error, defendant contends that the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, and Section 10, Article I of the Ohio Constitution give to him the right to be represented by any counsel of his choice, whether or not such counsel is an attorney admitted to practice in Ohio. Each state has the right to regulate the practice of law within its jurisdiction, and to require that a person be admitted to practice by that state before he may be permitted to act as the attorney for any person in that state, including representation in a criminal matter. Thus, the constitutional right to representation by counsel is limited, with regard to the states, to coun *188 sel admitted to practice in that state, unless no competent counsel so admitted is available. Defendant makes no contention that the three Ohio attorneys representing him were not competent to do so.

The general policy of Ohio is expressed in R. C. 4705.-01 as follows:

“No person shall he permitted to practice as an attorney and counselor at law, or to commence, conduct, or defend any action or proceeding in which he is not a party concerned, either by using or subscribing his own name, or the name of another person, unless he has been admitted to the bar by order of the supreme court in compliance with its prescribed and published rules. Admission to the bar shall entitle such person to practice before any court or administrative tribunal without further qualification or license.”

It has, however, been generally recognized that an attorney not admitted to practice in Ohio, but in good standing in another state, may be specially admitted for the purpose of representing a person in a particular case, be it civil or criminal. Whether or not so to specially permit an attorney not admitted to practice in Ohio, but admitted to practice and in good standing in another state, to represent a party in a particular action, is a matter lying within the sound discretion of the trial court. Thus, we must determine whether there has been an abuse of discretion in this instance.

While R. C. 4705.01 does not specifically provide for such special permission of out-of-state attorneys to appear in litigation in Ohio, it is recognized by Section 8(0) of Gov. R. 1, as follows:

“An applicant under this section shall not engage in the practice of law in this state prior to the filing of his application. To do so constitutes the unauthorized practice of law and will result in a denial of the application. This paragraph (C) does not apply to participation by a nonresident of Ohio in a cause being litigated in this state when such participation is with leave of the judge hearing such cause.”

This practice also is recognized by the ethical consid *189 erations of Canon 3 of the Code of Professional Responsibility, adopted by the Supreme Court of Ohio. EC 3-9 provides as follows:

“Regulation of the practice of law is accomplished principally by the respective states. Authority to engage in the practice of law conferred in any jurisdiction is not per se a grant of the right to practice elsewhere, and it is improper for a lawyer to engage in practice where he is not permitted by law or by court order to do so.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
304 N.E.2d 396, 36 Ohio App. 2d 185, 65 Ohio Op. 2d 316, 1973 Ohio App. LEXIS 834, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-ross-ohioctapp-1973.