Former Fenty Lawyer Disbarred, Now Working at Color Me Mine
Jeff Jeffrey of Legal Times has the scoop: Garrett L. Lee, a former legal adviser in the mayor's office, was disbarred last week by the D.C. Court of Appeals. Lee held several jobs in District government dating back to 2006, starting as a lawyer on then-Ward 4 Councilmember Adrian M. Fenty's committee staff and rising to interim deputy general counsel, a job he filled after general counsel Peter Nickles was named acting attorney general and deputy general counsel Chip Richardson rose to take his old spot.
The whole story is fascinating, and you should all read it, but you all can't read it without a Legal Times subscription. LL, however, will digest the article (strictly adhering to fair-use doctrine, of course).
The disbarment itself is rooted in a divorce case that Lee handled starting in 1999, Jeffrey reports. Lee represented Xavier Jordan against wife Marina Zoob. Writes Jeffrey,
But Lee was making some major mistakes—all the while telling Jordan that all was well, according to court documents. He didn't respond to a motion for contempt for failure to pay child support. He didn't respond to a notice that Zoob was seeking to garnish Jordan's investment account. The pattern continued in two other real estate disputes Lee was handling for Jordan—including missed filings and failing to respond to discovery requests.
The kicker is that when a appeals judge finally ruled against Jordan, a copy of the opinion that Lee provided to his client had a key line removed: that Lee had never filed a brief stating Jordan's case.
Jordan filed a malpractice claim against Lee in September 2005; Lee stalled responding to the claim, and Jordan filed for summary judgment in 2007, Lee did not reply and judgment was entered against him for $1 million. Lee appealed, but it was dismissed in December.
Here's the thing: Lee's career in government service started after the malpractice suit was filed against him. According to Jeffrey's article, Fenty knew and didn't care:
"I asked Lee how he got the job as special counsel," [Jordan lawyer Janet DeCosta] told Legal Times last week. "He said he got it through Mr. Fenty. He knew him personally. I asked Lee if he had told his employer, Mr. Fenty, about the lawsuit, and he said he had," DeCosta added.
What's Lee up to now?
Lee said last week that since his resignation, he's been working at Color Me Mine, a paint-your-own-pottery studio in Adams Morgan that Lee said is owned by his sister.
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4:59 pm
I, too am a victim of Garrett Lee's criminal deceptions. He was assigned my divorce/custody case at FTLF and his negligence and lies (almost identical to the afformentioned case) cost me custody of my children because he never responded to motions and failed to inform me of hearings. I was notified by mail that my ex-husband was awarded sole custody of my children!!! My life has been a nightmare for nearly five years because of him - and there are more like me. FTLF knew what he was when they gave him my case - but they didn't bother to tell me... My life and those of my three children will never be what it should have been. It cost me more that money could make up for...
8:58 pm
I know some folks who were represented by this guy, and they also complained about the same kinds of things. Has any legal action been taken against the firms where he worked, if there was a pattern of abuse and complaints here? Also, why did it take so long for the DC Bar to take action against this fellow?
6:41 pm
I am also a victim of Garrett Lee and his dishonesty. I was referred to Garrett Lee to handle my divorce. My divorce was due to Domestic violence, violence that nearly killed me. I went to Garret Lee in the summer of 2003. Garrett Lee and FTLF refused to acknowledge my domestic violence case in the divorce. No action was taken by the law firm from 2003 to 2005. As a result my ex husband was able to sell joint property and canceled my heath insurance. I had no health insurance for 2 years and I am required to have an infusion treatment every 6 weeks. Garrett’s behavior is an abusive pattern. Why was he allowed to continue to practice law? I went to FTLF for help and was abused all over again by Garrett Lee. I am fighting emotionally and financially everyday to regain the “Care-Free trusting person I use to be.
1:56 am
Ah, the cockroach principle: where there's one, there are many!
Actually, why didn't the DC Bar take action against Mr. Lee sooner, if according to the article it was apparently aware of allegations of his misconduct (and I guess the misconduct of firms he worked at) in 2005?