Illinois Supreme Court Disbars 3, Suspends 9 in Latest Disciplinary Filing

The Illinois Supreme Court announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on November 15, 2018. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.

DISBARRED
 

• Jerold Wayne Barringer, Nokomis
  
  Mr. Barringer, who was licensed in 1983, was disbarred. While his law license was suspended for earlier misconduct, he represented a client in an eminent domain case, failed to disclose to that client that he was suspended from the practice of law and could not give legal advice or prepare pleadings, and did not return the $1,500 legal fee paid by the client.
   
• Thomas Charles Croft, St. Louis, Mo.
  
  Mr. Croft was licensed in Illinois and in Missouri in 1979. The Supreme Court of Missouri disbarred him for failing to diligently represent a criminal defendant after being appointed counsel, not diligently representing other clients in connection with their estate planning matters, and with refusing to respond to lawful demands for information from Missouri disciplinary authorities regarding both matters. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and disbarred him.
   
• Michael L. Thiel, Chicago
  
  Mr. Thiel was licensed in Illinois in 1975 and in Louisiana in 1984. The Supreme Court of Louisiana disbarred him following his conviction and 30-month prison sentence for the offense of willfully evading the payment of federal taxes for the tax years of 2003 through 2013. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and disbarred him.

SUSPENDED
 

• Adebayo Olusegun Adesina, Chicago
  
  Mr. Adesina, who was licensed in 2009, was suspended for one year and until he completes the ARDC Professionalism Seminar. He converted more than $11,000 he was holding in connection with two personal injury matters and made a misrepresentation to one of his clients regarding the status of her settlement funds. The suspension is effective on December 6, 2018.
   
• Jessica Rose Allen, Palatine
  
  Ms. Allen, who was licensed in 2014, was suspended for thirty days and ordered to complete the ARDC Professionalism Seminar within one year. She neglected an immigration matter for a client and repeatedly misled her client about the status of that matter. The suspension is effective on December 6, 2018.
   
• Elena Gallo*, Chicago
  
  Ms. Gallo, who was licensed in 2002, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court. She was charged with misappropriating more than $18,000 of client funds. In addition, while handling six real estate matters for client, it was alleged that she increased her legal fees without her clients’ consent in three transactions, and then misled her clients and her law firm's partners regarding those increased fees.
   
• Laouida Glover*, Steger
  
  Ms. Glover, who was licensed in 1993, was suspended from the practice of law for a period of one  year  and  until  further  order  of  the  Court.  She  violated  the  conditions  of  an  earlier disciplinary probation by failing to provide required quarterly reports and trust account records, failing to meet as required with her supervising attorney to review and implement required law office management systems and failing to make required payments to the ARDC for payment of restitution, costs or reimbursement to the Client Protection Program Trust Fund.
   
• Michael R. Graf, Arlington Heights
  
  Mr. Graf, who was licensed in 1991, was suspended for five months. He failed to timely file a medical malpractice/wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of clients and falsely advised them that he had obtained medical records, negotiated with medical providers and consulted with experts. The suspension is effective on December 6, 2018.
   
• Robert Kent Gray, Springfield
  
  Mr. Gray, who was licensed in 2002, was suspended for one year. In his own divorce case, Mr. Gray intentionally failed to comply with discovery orders requiring him to turn over his income tax returns and then made false statements to the court and opposing counsel about the existence of the returns. In addition, he engaged in the unauthorized practice of law by representing two villages after he had been removed from the Master Roll of Attorneys for failing to register and pay the annual registration fee. The suspension is effective on December 6, 2018.
   
• Robin Lynn Perry*, Spring Grove
  
  Ms. Perry, who was licensed in 1997, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court. She misappropriated $21,742 from her law firm employer. This conduct resulted in her conviction on felony theft charges in the Circuit Court of McHenry, County.
   
• Paul Arthur Silich, Epworth, Iowa
  
  Mr. Silich was licensed in Illinois in 1997 and in Iowa in 2003. The Supreme Court of Iowa suspended him for thirty days and until he pays the costs of his disciplinary proceeding and until he provides proof of compliance with continuing legal education and client security fund obligations. He failed to diligently resolve a Medicare lien with respect to personal injury settlement proceeds and maintain communication with representatives of a decedent’s estate. He also  failed  to  cooperate  with  Iowa  disciplinary  authorities.  The  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him in Illinois for thirty days and until he is reinstated in Iowa. The suspension is effective on December 6, 2018.
   
• Kelly Jo Smith, Greenwood, Ind.
  
  Ms. Smith was licensed in Illinois in 2004 and in Indiana in 2005. The Indiana Supreme Court suspended her for ninety days, staying the suspension in its entirety subject to her completion of at least one year of probation with conditions for her second conviction of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. The Illinois Supreme Court imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended her for ninety days, with the suspension stayed in its entirety in favor of a one-year period of probation, nunc pro tunc to August 10, 2018, subject to conditions, and until she successfully completes probation in Indiana.

CENSURED

• Rebecca Suzanne Murray, Oak Park
  
  Ms. Murray, who was licensed in 2013, was censured. She was removed from the Master Roll of Attorneys for approximately seven months for failing to register as required by Supreme Court rule. During that time, she continued to represent clients, file pleadings and appear in court.
   
• Ralph Joseph Schindler, Jr., Chicago
  
  Mr. Schindler, who was licensed in 1974, was censured. He engaged in a conflict of interest when he arranged for a company he partly owned to issue a $45,000 loan to a client, then later personally assumed all rights and interests in that loan. He collected all loan payments from the client without making the required conflict disclosures.
   

*The order was entered by the court before the November 2018 term, but not included in any prior release.