Decision record
Arlean D. Moreta Beckford
Allegation / charges
Struck off | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered February 15, 2020. || Guilty of Professional Misconduct | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered November 27, 2019. || Formal Order View PDF of Decision View PDF of Formal Order DECISION ON SANCTION DISCIPLINARY …
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
Attorney Arlean Beckford borrowed $4,000,000 from a client, repaying only $1,400,000 and leaving $2,600,000 unpaid, and failed to advise the client to seek independent legal advice. The Committee found her guilty of professional misconduct as an abuse of the attorney-client relationship, in breach of Canon I(b) and considering Canon VIII(b). She did not appear at the sanction hearing. The Committee ordered her struck from the Roll, fined $2,600,000 payable to the Complainant, and ordered to pay $400,000 in costs. No express finding of dishonesty was made.
Duties found breached:
- Disclose adverse law to the court
- Uphold public trust in the profession
- No improper use of client money
- Good faith and courtesy to colleagues
Aggravating factors:
- Failure to repay $2,600,000 of the borrowed sum
- Attorney's callous disdain for the profession and the General Legal Council
- Failure to appear or participate in the proceedings
Duties engaged
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