Chronic Faulty Bookkeeping • Perfect Storm of Illnesses, Injuries, Absence from Work
In re Pollack, PICS Case No. 16-1058 (Pa. Aug. 10, 2016) per curiam (60 pages).
A 26-year veteran of the law profession with a small private practice slipped into sloppy bookkeeping and timekeeping under time periods of severe stress. A combination of being the sole trial lawyer and financial manager, with serious familial injuries and ongoing medical needs, lack of assistance in the practice, plus his own worsening health issues led to lapses in concentration that allowed overpayment of fees and disbursements in his accounting. Ultimately a bounced check on an IOLTA account triggered an audit that uncovered periods of discovery and rectification of errors on his own volition. Noting that the misconduct was serious, but in view of the mitigating circumstances the ODC recommending discipline of four years suspension, stayed, with four years of probation conditioned on rectified accounting practices.
