Cuyahoga County Bar Ass'n v. Boychuk

We have said on many occasions that the misappropriation of client funds and the neglect of client interests normally warrant the severe sanction of disbarment. Columbus Bar Assn. v. Sterner (1996), 77 Ohio St.3d 164, 167, 672 N.E.2d 633, 635, and cases cited therein. However, in imposing a sanction, we consider not only the duty violated, but also the lawyer’s mental state, the actual injury caused, and whether mitigating factors exist. In this case, we note respondent’s personal and emotional problems that existed at the time of these infractions and the steps respondent has since taken to…