FOR THE RESPONDENT FOR THE INDIANA SUPREME COURT DISCIPLINARY COMMISSION
Kevin P. McGoff Donald R. Lundberg, Executive Secretary Kiefer and McGoff Robert C. Shook, Staff Attorney 8900 Keystone Crossing 115 W. Washington Street, Ste. 1060 Indianapolis, IN 46240 Indianapolis, IN 46204 ________________________________________________________________________
SUPREME COURT OF INDIANA
Because the respondent, Michael B. McNeil, was convicted of possession of
marijuana, we today find that his conduct violates the Rules of Professional Conduct for
Attorneys at Law.
The respondent is an attorney admitted to the practice of law in this state in 1991. He
and the Disciplinary Commission have submitted for our approval a Statement of
Circumstances and Conditional Agreement for Discipline wherein they agree that the
respondent was convicted in Wabash Circuit Court on May 20, 1997, of possession of
marijuana, a class A misdemeanor, and of possession of paraphernalia, a class A infraction.
The court sentenced him to one year imprisonment, with the time suspended subject to
probation, fined him $600, and ordered that his driving privileges be suspended for a period
of six months.
Indiana Professional Conduct Rule 8.4(b) provides that it is professional misconduct
for a lawyer to commit a criminal act which reflects adversely on his honesty,
trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer in other respects. A lawyer's possession of marijuana
tends to reflect adversely on his fitness to practice law because it “indicates an inevitable
contact with the chain of distribution and trafficking of illegal drugs.” Matter of Jones, 515
N.E.2d 855, 856 (Ind. 1987). The impact of that association is of such severity that it affects
adversely the public's perception of the respondent's fitness to be an officer of the court. Id.
Accordingly, we find that the respondent violated Ind.Professional Conduct Rule 8.4(b).
The parties agree that the respondent should be publicly reprimanded for his
misconduct. In support of that conclusion, they point to several cases where, in resolution
of attorney disciplinary charges, this Court publicly admonished lawyers who had been
convicted of crimes similar to the one the respondent committed. See, e.g., Matter of Roche,
540 N.E.2d 36 (Ind. 1989); Matter of Jones, supra; Matter of Turner, 463 N.E.2d 477 (Ind.
1984). We do note, however, that each of those cases were resolved under the old Code of
Professional Responsibility, and not the presently controlling Rules of Professional Conduct.
Due to several mitigating factors present in this case,See footnote
1
we are persuaded that a public
reprimand is adequate in this instance and thus accept the parties' agreed resolution of this
matter.
Accordingly, the respondent, Michael B. McNeil, is hereby reprimanded and
admonished for his misconduct.
The clerk of this Court is directed to provide notice of this order in accordance with
Admis.Disc.R. 23(3)(d) and to provide the clerk of the United States Court of Appeals for
the Seventh Circuit, the clerk of each of the United States District Courts in this state, and
the clerk of the United States Bankruptcy Court in this state with the last known address of
respondent as reflected in the records of the clerk.
Costs of this proceeding are assessed against respondent.
Shepard, C.J., and Sullivan, Selby, and Boehm, JJ., concur.
Dickson, J., dissents, believing a public reprimand to be insufficient punishment.
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