Biglaw partner Matthew Melville, formerly of Am Law 100 firm Crowell & Moring, has been suspended from practicing law in New York following a violation of his firm’s policies. The accusations held against him suggest that Melville ran a private operation while working at Crowell & Moring, without declaring the full amount he made from this operation.
Details about this case can be found on a Reuters report.
According to the appeals court, Melville engaged in executing legal work for non-Crowell clients and billed Crowell’s clients for this work he performed independently, bypassing Crowell’s conventional billing setup. His side business yielded more than $360,000, as highlighted by the court.
His side practice was uncovered by Crowell in November 2021, following a situation where both the firm and Melville invoiced the same client. In response to the charges, Melville admitted to conducting activities involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, in defiance of New York’s professional rules. As a result, he received a six-month suspension from practicing law in the state and will be required to abide by business and mental health monitoring and reporting for a two-year duration.
Crowell & Moring confirmed in a statement that Melville’s partnership with the firm was terminated in 2021, upon discovering that he was conducting activities that disregarded the firm’s practices and policies and violated bar rules. Despite Melville’s actions, the firm declared that no clients suffered any adverse effects.
Melville, however, appears undeterred by the incident. He told Reuters that he plans to continue practicing law in California, despite the State Bar’s intention to issue a “consumer alert” on its website, highlighting Melville’s suspension in New York. You can find more details about these happenings by reading this Reuters article.
The incident serves as a reminder to legal professionals that policy breaches, particularly those involving, honesty, and transparency can have significant legal and professional ramifications.