People v. Ian Trevor Hicks. 21PDJ047. July 15, 2021.
The Presiding Disciplinary Judge approved the parties’ conditional admission of misconduct and publicly censured Ian Trevor Hicks (attorney registration number 39332) with the condition that Hicks attend a one-day ethics school. The public censure took effect July 15, 2021.
In April 2019, Hicks began representing a client with whom he had recently been sexually involved. Hicks and his client entered into a fee agreement, after which they no longer had a physical relationship. The client paid Hicks a retainer, but Hicks never completed any work for his client. In 2020, the client fired Hicks, and he ultimately refunded all of her fees.
In another matter, a client hired Hicks in November 2019 to pursue an action against a car dealership. They signed a fee agreement, and the client paid Hicks a retainer. Hicks did not communicate with his client until January 2020, when his client asked about the status of the case. Hicks told his client that he would file a complaint that month, but he failed to do so. The client wanted to end the representation, but Hicks offered him a discount and assured him that the complaint would be filed the next week. Hicks never filed the complaint, however, and he did not communicate with his client until June 2020, at which time his client fired him. Hicks refunded the client’s money.
Through this conduct, Hicks violated Colo. RPC 1.3 (a lawyer shall act with reasonable diligence and promptness when representing a client); Colo. RPC 1.4(b) (a lawyer shall explain a matter so as to permit the client to make informed decisions regarding the representation); and Colo. RPC 1.7(a)(2) (a lawyer shall not represent a client if the representation involves a concurrent conflict with the lawyer’s personal interest).
The case file is public per C.R.C.P. 242.41(a)(2).