Attorney Grievance Commission v. Woolery

No one who has practiced law for any appreciable time can claim to have never made a mistake in that practice. A mistake in the practice of law is not necessarily professional misconduct. However, once aware of a mistake that harms another and given the opportunity to mitigate it, a lawyer who decides to do nothing may be guilty of misconduct.

Respondent Benjamin Woolery was appointed as personal representative for an estate that had a single asset—real property that had served as the decedent’s home. There were five heirs—adult children of the decedent—with different ideas as to how to…