In re Carlson, A18-1425

917 N.W.2d 774 (Mem)

IN RE Petition for DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST Paul Francis CARLSON, a Minnesota Attorney, Registration No. 029195X.

A18-1425

Supreme Court of Minnesota.

October 4, 2018

ORDER

The Director of the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility has filed a petition for disciplinary action alleging that respondent Paul Francis Carlson has committed professional misconduct warranting public discipline—namely, as one of the partners in a law firm, failing to supervise non-lawyer support staff to ensure that the required trust account books and records were maintained, that the trust account records that were maintained were accurate, and that client funds were deposited into trust; failing to safeguard client funds; commingling earned fees in the trust account; and negligently misappropriating client funds. See Minn. R. Prof. Conduct 1.15(a), 1.15(b), 1.15(c)(3), 1.15(c)(5), 1.15(h), and 5.3(a).

Respondent and the Director have entered into a stipulation for discipline. In it, respondent waives his procedural rights under Rule 14, Rules on Lawyers Professional

Responsibility (RLPR), waives his right to answer the petition, and unconditionally admits the allegations of the petition. The parties jointly recommend that the appropriate discipline is a public reprimand followed by 2 years of probation.

This court has independently reviewed the file and approves the jointly recommended disposition.

Based upon all the files, records, and proceedings herein,

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:

1. Respondent Paul Francis Carlson is publicly reprimanded.

2. Respondent shall pay $900 in costs pursuant to Rule 24(a), RLPR.

3. Respondent is placed on probation for 2 years, subject to the following terms and conditions:

a. Respondent shall cooperate fully with the Director’s Office in its efforts to monitor compliance with this probation. Respondent shall promptly respond to the Director’s correspondence by its due date. Respondent shall provide to the Director a current mailing address and shall immediately notify the Director of any change of address. Respondent shall cooperate with the Director’s investigation of any allegations of unprofessional conduct that may come to the Director’s attention. Upon the Director’s request, respondent shall provide authorization for release of information and documentation to verify compliance with the terms of this probation.

b. Respondent shall abide by the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct.

c. If, at any time during his

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