People v. Charles Richard Free. 17PDJ091. January 2, 2018. The Presiding Disciplinary Judge approved the parties’ conditional admission of misconduct and publicly censured Charles Richard Free (attorney registration number 16476), with the condition that he attend ethics school. The public censure took effect January 2, 2018.
Free was hired to represent a client in two criminal matters and one civil matter. In the civil matter, Free failed to produce certain information that the court had ordered him to produce, he did not participate in drafting a trial management order, and he did not timely file a witness list or exhibit list. In the ensuing appeal, he did not file the record and he neglected to respond to two show cause orders, resulting in dismissal of the appeal. The client later terminated Free’s representation in the criminal matters. Concerned about the implications of returning the case file to the client’s wife, as the client had requested, Free did not timely return the file to the client.
Through this conduct, Free violated Colo. RPC 1.3 (a lawyer shall act with reasonable diligence and promptness when representing a client) and Colo. RPC 1.16(d) (a lawyer shall protect a client’s interests upon termination of the representation, including by returning unearned fees and any papers and property to which the client is entitled).