In Re Cleaver-Bascombe

“Under this court’s precedents, ... a presumption of disbarment rebuttable only by ‘compelling extenuating circumstances’ has heretofore been reserved for one class of intentionally dishonest conduct, that involving misappropriation of client funds.” In re Pennington, 921 A.2d 135, 141 (D.C.2007) (citing In re Addams, 579 A.2d 190 (D.C.1990) (en banc)).1 In Addams, this court found warranted this essentially per se rule2 because such a breach “betray[s] [the lawyer’s] highest trust” and “is so reprehensible, striking at the core of the attorney-client relationship, that the respondent must…