Ohio Lawyer Who Offered Client Xanax Indefinitely Suspended

An Ohio attorney charged with 71 ethics rule violations while representing 12 clients, who offered drugs to one client, solicited them from another, and failed to show for his temporary suspension hearing, was banned indefinitely by the state’s highest court.

Several violations involved misappropriation of client funds, which warrants disbarment, the Ohio Supreme Court noted in its Wednesday opinion.

But William Matthew Tinch suffers from a chemical dependency, and “we often temper this presumptive sanction when an attorney’s misconduct was motivated by addiction and the attorney has demonstrated a commitment to recovery,” the court said.

Tinch’s misconduct happened between 2015 ...