The ABA reports…..
A lawyer has been suspended after falsely telling four clients that he had resolved their cases and then paying them amounts ranging from $10,000 to $424,000 from his personal funds.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court suspended lawyer Keith Michael McWhirk in a July 31 order. McWhirk agreed to the four-year suspension, which is retroactive to Feb. 25, 2016, the date that he was temporarily suspended from law practice.
Law360 has coverage.
McWhirk was a name partner at Mandracchia & McWhirk in December 2015 when he lost consciousness and collapsed at a work-related event. He was hospitalized for five days and required surgery for injuries that included facial fractures.
Associates trying to cover McWhirk’s files “began to discover mounting evidence of serious ethical misconduct,” according to the joint petition in support of discipline. McWhirk was terminated by the firm, and the associates reported the misconduct that they had found.
