In Re Steven Kreiss

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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS
No. 19-BG-843
IN RE STEVEN KREISS, RESPONDENT.
A Member of the Bar
of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
(Bar Registration No. 58297)
On Report and Recommendation
of the Board on Professional Responsibility
(DDN 191-18)
(Decided November 14, 2019)
Before THOMPSON and EASTERLY, Associate Judges, and STEADMAN, Senior
Judge.
PER CURIAM: The Board on Professional Responsibility adopted the Ad Hoc
Hearing Committee’s findings that respondent, Steven Kreiss, violated District of
Columbia Rules of Professional Conduct 1.8(i) and 1.16(d), and its recommendation
that respondent be publicly censured and required to attend an ethics continuing legal
education course (CLE) approved by Disciplinary Counsel. The Committee found
by clear and convincing evidence that respondent had improperly imposed a lien on
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a former client’s file and failed to timely return the file to his client or new counsel
despite repeated requests by new counsel.
Under D.C. Bar R. XI, § 9(h)(2), “if no exceptions are filed to the Board’s
report, the [c]ourt will enter an order imposing the discipline recommended by the
Board upon the expiration of the time permitted for filing exceptions.” See also In
re Viehe, 762 A.2d 542, 543 (D.C. 2000) (“When . . . there are no exceptions to the
Board’s report and recommendation, our deferential standard of review becomes
even more deferential.”). Neither respondent nor Disciplinary Counsel has filed
exceptions to the Board’s Report and Recommendation, and we are satisfied that the
findings are supported by substantial evidence. We see no reason to reject the
discipline recommended by the Board. See id. at 543.
Accordingly, it is
ORDERED that respondent Steven Kreiss is hereby publically censured and
he is further required to complete an ethics CLE approved by Disciplinary Counsel.
So ordered.