In Re a Member of the State Bar

I fully agree with the court’s well-reasoned exposition on all points except that of the sanction to be imposed on Respondent. Ordinarily, I would defer to the recommendations of the Disciplinary Commission (“Commission”) and join the majority. I strongly disagree, however, with the sanction on policy grounds and must therefore dissent from that portion of the opinion.

In my view, the censure recommended by a majority of the Commission and approved by the court is far too lenient and fails to accomplish one of the most important objectives of discipline. In addition to preventing repetition by…