In re Bulmer, A17-0299
| Decision Date | 20 July 2017 |
| Docket Number | A17-0299 |
| Citation | 899 N.W.2d 183 (Mem) |
| Parties | IN RE Petition for DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST William Keith BULMER, II, a Minnesota Attorney, Registration No. 033778X. |
| Court | Minnesota Supreme Court |
899 N.W.2d 183 (Mem)
IN RE Petition for DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST William Keith BULMER, II, a Minnesota Attorney, Registration No. 033778X.
A17-0299
Supreme Court of Minnesota.
Dated: July 20, 2017
ORDER
The Director of the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility has filed a petition for disciplinary action and a supplementary petition alleging that respondent William Keith Bulmer, II, committed professional misconduct warranting public discipline arising out of sexual relations he had with a client and a witness in separate matters, both of which involved his representation of criminal defendants. He also made false statements to an assistant county attorney who was investigating one of those incidents in order to defend against the allegations of a petition for postconviction relief. See Minn. R. Prof. Conduct 1.7(a)(2), 1.8(j), 8.4(c), and 8.4(d).
Respondent waives his procedural rights under Rule 14, Rules on Lawyers Professional Responsibility (RLPR), and unconditionally admits the allegations of the petition and the supplementary petition. The parties jointly recommend that the appropriate discipline is an 18-month suspension.
This case presents us with a serious, repeat pattern of inappropriate sexual conduct with participants in criminal proceedings during respondent's representation of criminal defendants. First, prior to the filing of the petition and supplementary petition in this matter, respondent was privately admonished by the Director on three occasions. One of those admonitions was related to an incident in late 2012 or early 2013, in which respondent had sexual relations with a witness while representing a criminal defendant.
Second, as detailed in the current petition for disciplinary action, the allegations of which respondent has admitted, respondent engaged in sexual relations with the wife of a client, apparently in exchange for a reduction or forbearance of his fee. The incident occurred in late 2012. The client had been charged with first-degree murder. Respondent had identified the client's wife as a witness, and when the client learned of the relationship after the trial, he filed a petition for postconviction relief. The basis for the postconviction petition was an alleged conflict of interest arising out of respondent's undisclosed sexual relationship with the wife. When an Assistant County Attorney assigned to represent the State spoke with respondent about the allegations in the postconviction petition, respondent falsely denied the sexual relationship.
Third, as detailed in the supplementary petition for disciplinary action, the...
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In re Kennedy, A18-1799
...charged with first-degree murder and made false statements about the relationship to an investigating county attorney. In re Bulmer , 899 N.W.2d 183, 184 (Minn. 2017) (order). In that case, a 3-year suspension was imposed because "the sexual relations occurred under circumstances in which c......
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In re Petition for Disciplinary Action Against Clayton D. Halunen
...concurrence and dissent contends three decisions support a longer suspension: In re Kennedy , 946 N.W.2d 568 (Minn. 2020), In re Bulmer , 899 N.W.2d 183 (Minn. 2017), and In re Strunk , 945 N.W.2d 379 (Minn. 2020). Each of these cases, however, is distinguishable.We imposed a 2-year suspens......
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Taylor v. State
...2. For this and other indiscretions, Bulmer received a three-year suspension from the practice of law. In re Disciplinary Action Against Bulmer, 899 N.W.2d 183, 185 (Minn. 2017). 3. There appears to be some conflict regarding the applicability of the lower Sullivan standard to cases involvi......
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