Opinion
A20-1652
09-24-2021
IN RE Petition for DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST Sia LO, a Minnesota Attorney, Registration No. 0277691.
ORDER
The Director of the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility has filed a petition for disciplinary action alleging that respondent Sia Lo has committed professional misconduct warranting public discipline. The petition alleges that with respect to one client matter, respondent failed to advise the client of the risks and alternatives to an arbitration provision contained within their fee agreement, entered into an improper availability fee as nonrefundable, engaged in a conflict of interest by concurrently representing the client and the representatives of the victim of the client's conduct without obtaining informed consent confirmed in writing, improperly disclosed information related to the representation of the client and using that information to the client's disadvantage without obtaining the client's informed consent, failed to timely provide to the client an accounting of fees paid, improperly charged the client for work performed on the client's matter post-termination of the representation and for time spent responding to the ethics complaint stemming from his representation of the client. The petition also alleges that respondent maintained false and/or misleading information on his law firm website, and that he failed to cooperate with the Director's investigation. See Minn. R. Prof. Conduct 1.4(b), 1.5(a), 1.5(b)(2), 1.5(b)(3), 1.6(a) 1.7(a), 1.8(b), 1.15(c)(3), 7.1, 8.1(b), and 8.4(d), and Rule 25, Rules on Lawyers Professional Responsibility (RLPR).
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), withdraws his previously filed answer, and unconditionally admits the allegations of the petition. In the stipulation, it is represented that respondent has provided evidence to the Director that the majority of the noncooperation alleged within the petition was attributable to his former counsel, mitigating but not eliminating respondent's noncooperation. The parties jointly recommend that the appropriate discipline is a public reprimand and 2 years of unsupervised 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 Sia Lo is publicly reprimanded.
2. Respondent shall pay $900 in costs pursuant to Rule 24, RLPR.
3. Respondent is placed on unsupervised 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.