PHOENIX - The Arizona Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the suspension of a Phoenix lawyer well-known for his television commercials, but reduced it by one day so he does not have to go through formal reinstatement proceedings.
The high-court opinion means Jeffrey Phillips, of Phillips & Associates, won't be able to practice law for six months, beginning in 30 days, because of ethics violations.
He also won't be able to use his name in advertising or on any correspondence, the ruling said, and can't earn income from the firm during his suspension.
A State Bar official said Phillips will have to pull any current advertising and remove his name from the firm.
Another part-owner of the firm also is named Phillips, but chief bar counsel Maret Vessella said using him to continue the Phillips & Associates firm name would likely be viewed with suspicion by officials with the group that regulates and licenses lawyers.
People are also reading…
"That's what the rule specifically looks to prevent, and why lawyers are required to take their name down so as not to mislead the public about their status to practice law," Vessella said.
A State Bar hearing officer last year found Phillips violated ethics rules by not properly supervising lawyers and non-lawyers at his 250-person firm. Phillips appealed to the state's high court.
The violations included not having knowledgeable lawyers meet with potential clients before the firm took cash deposits, leaving them unable to make informed decisions.
Phillips also was accused of allowing his firm's bankruptcy attorneys to take on so many cases that the workload was unmanageable; giving bonuses to administrators based on new-client sign-ups, which offered a motive for misconduct; and failing to have a system in place to avoid refund delays.
Neither Phillips nor the lawyer representing him in the case returned calls seeking comment. After last year's ruling, Phillips said the hearing officer upheld only a handful of technical violations, while his firm served more than 33,000 clients in the three years in question.
He argued in his appeal that he was not responsible for ethics violations of other firm employees, but the high court found he had a duty to make sure his employees obeyed ethics rules.
Phillips' partner, Robert Arentz, served a 60-day suspension earlier this year for similar ethics violations and has been reinstated.
Phillips is a well-known presence on Arizona television stations, where he pitches his firm's expertise in criminal and civil litigation and bankruptcy cases.
