Roger Plawker Quoted in New Jersey Law Journal Article Regarding Attorney's Disbarment in Conflict of Interest Case
Roger Plawker, partner and Chair of the Attorney Ethics and Professional Misconduct practice at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, was quoted in the New Jersey Law Journal article “Disbarment Case Puts focus on Tax Appeal Referrals and ‘Divided Loyalties’.” The article discusses a recent New Jersey Supreme Court order disbarring an attorney, Angela Jupin, for misappropriation of funds and conflict of interest. The Court found that the attorney’s relationship with Mid-Atlantic Appraisals, a company that referred nearly 500 tax appeal cases to her, conflicted with her duty to clients. Plawker noted that attorneys have numerous repeat referral sources, whether from other lawyers or even as approved attorneys for insurance companies, and that such repeat referrals, without more, are not a basis to conclude that a conflict exists. As stated in the Law Journal:
However, Roger Plawker, chairman of the attorney ethics and professional misconduct practice group at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden in Hackensack, was not convinced that the arrangement between Mid-Atlantic and Jupin created a conflict of interest.
“At first blush, it’s not clear to me that is a solid conclusion from the facts of the case as reported because lawyers receive referrals all the time from other lawyers,” Plawker said.
Of the assertion that Jupin’s desire for a steady stream of cases from Mid-Atlantic would conflict with her duty to property owners seeking tax reductions, Plawker said, “I don’t see that as the type of personal interest that would materially limit the lawyer’s duty to the client.”
To view the full article, click here.
