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The Indiana Supreme Court handed down a 60-day suspension Thursday to a Crown Point attorney for misconduct after she was unresponsive to a client and failed to refund the person’s payment for work in a divorce case.
Chief Justice Loretta Rush issued the order for In the Matter of Lynda LeBlanc, 23S-DI-260, with all justices concurring.
The order stated that Lynda LeBlanc had engaged in professional misconduct, with the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission filing a complaint against LeBlanc on Sept. 18, 2023.
LeBlanc was served with the complaint and has not appeared, responded, or otherwise participated in the proceedings.
The order noted that “Client 1,” who had recently been divorced after reaching a mediated settlement agreement with his former spouse, hired LeBlanc to review one qualified domestic relations order and to prepare a second one.
LeBlanc agreed to accept $900 for the contemplated work, which the client paid.
Thereafter, LeBlanc was not responsive to multiple attempts by the client to reach her.
When the client drove to LeBlanc’s office, he found it vacant.
The client fired LeBlanc by email and requested a refund, but the attorney did not respond.
LeBlanc also prepared a domestic relations order for “Client 2,” which was rejected.
The client later filed a grievance alleging that LeBlanc did not respond to his attempts to contact her after the order was rejected.
LeBlanc did not respond to demands for information by the commission, prompting the initiation of show cause proceedings.
Those proceedings eventually were dismissed when LeBlanc belatedly complied.
The high court found that LeBlanc violated these Indiana Professional Conduct Rules prohibiting the following misconduct:
- Failing to act with reasonable diligence and promptness.
- Failing to keep a client reasonably informed about the status of a matter and respond promptly to reasonable requests for information.
- Charging or collecting an unreasonable fee.
- Failing to respond in a timely manner to the Commission’s demands for information.
The high court suspended LeBlanc from the practice of law in Indiana for a period of not less than 60 days, without automatic reinstatement, beginning April 11.
With the suspension, LeBlanc shall not undertake any new legal matters between service of this order and the effective date of the suspension, and shall fulfill all the duties of a suspended attorney under Admission and Discipline Rule 23(26).
At the conclusion of the minimum period of suspension, LeBlanc can petition the court for reinstatement to the practice of law in Indiana, provided LeBlanc pays the costs of this proceeding, fulfills the duties of a suspended attorney, and satisfies the requirements for reinstatement of Admission and Discipline Rule 23(18).
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