In Re Shelfer

I cannot agree with the conclusion reached by the majority that the appropriate level of discipline in this case is a two-year suspension. As the facts as set out in the majority opinion show, Respondent was an experienced attorney who, despite being familiar with the constraints on dealing with trust funds, wrote numerous checks to himself (totaling more than $100,000) from a client’s trust fund over a period of two years for his own personal and business expenses without disclosing his actions to the client. Throughout that time, Respondent ignored repeated requests from the beneficiary of…