BIDDEFORD — On Wednesday, the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar announced Biddeford attorney Scott Giese was suspended from practicing law for multiple violations of Maine Rules of Professional Conduct.
Giese, who was admitted to the Maine bar in 2008, has a private practice in Biddeford.
Maine Supreme Judicial Court Joseph Jabar ordered that Giese be suspended from practicing law for two months, from Jan. 2 to March 19.
Giese’s violations of attorney misconduct are “serious and troubling,” stated Jabar in his order. According to Jabar, Giese’s problems appear to have been caused by expanding his practice too fast; Giese has been practicing law for about five years.
The sanction was part of a negotiated resolution with the bar.
Giese said he agreed with the court, in a telephone interview on Friday.
“I didn’t fight it,” he said. “I consented to everything.”
Giese blamed personal problems as the reason for the difficulties with his practice.
“I got too involved in family chaos,” he said.
Jabar’s order regarded violations in five counts of misconduct against Giese, all of which took place in 2013.
In count one, Ingrid Horvat alleged Giese agreed to a highly contested parental rights agreement without her consent.
In count two, attorney Amy Fairfield’s complaint reported Giese’s unauthorized contact with Fairfield’s family law client.
In count three, a grievance complaint filed by Diane Gonneville and Katrena Guiod regarded Giese filing an unmeritorious lawsuit against the two on behalf of a family with whom he had a personal conflict.
In count four, Tammy Mutombo alleged that Giese neglected her estate matter, charged an excessive fee and failed to communicate.
In count five, former client Geoffrey Reese complained that Giese failed to prosecute Reese’s criminal appeal, which was pending in Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
In addition to his suspension, once Giese is allowed to practice law again, Biddeford attorney Scott Houde will act as his court-appointed monitor for a year or more, and he is required to take six hours of continuing legal education focused on law practice management.
“There’s lots of stuff in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Giese.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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