Bellingham attorney disbarred after clients, judges say he did little to no work
A Bellingham attorney can no longer practice law in Washington state because he did little to no work for his clients after they paid him thousands of dollars.
Robert Joseph La Rocco has been disbarred in a decision finalized this month by the Washington State Supreme Court, according to legal filings that detailed complaints against him and the subsequent disciplinary action for what was called a “pattern of neglect.”
He also has been ordered to repay his clients $23,399 plus 12 percent interest, according to the filings.
La Rocco had been practicing law in Washington state since June 2010.
The complaints filed against him focused on his legal representation for 15 clients in cases that included bankruptcy, child custody, identify theft, land use, divorce and stalking. The oldest known case stretched back to June 2011, when he was hired by one of the clients.
Four Whatcom County Superior Court judges also had filed a grievance with the Washington State Bar Association’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel in February 2017 because of complaints from litigants, according to the filings.
Those litigants in Superior Court said La Rocco had “failed to perform legal services or refused to perform an essential function of the representation: to appear at a hearing, to defend important allegations, or to file required documents, including orders to finalize dissolution proceedings and parenting plans,” the filings state.
“The complaints received by the judges stated that multiple litigants had been unable to reach Mr. La Rocco by telephone or email and that he vacated his offices without leaving any forwarding address or information that would allow his clients to reach him,” the filings continue.
They said they couldn’t get their fees refunded, and the judges said La Rocco’s behavior affected court proceedings.
“The complainants’ inability to reach Mr. La Rocco and his failure to return their calls, as well as the calls of opposing counsel, resulted in the complete halt of proceedings in multiple matters,” the filings state.
The 15 clients named the legal filings also had similar complaints, but it was unclear if the Whatcom County Superior Court judges were referring to any of them.
La Rocco’s license to practice law had been suspended prior to his disbarment.
This hasn’t been La Rocco’s only disciplinary action.
He was suspended from practicing bankruptcy law for one year in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington as of November 2016 for his conduct in nine bankruptcy cases, according to the legal filings.
It was unclear if any of those bankruptcy clients were among the most recent complaints involving the 15 clients.
This story was originally published December 28, 2018 at 5:00 AM.
