Suspension for New York Lawyer Who Had Affair With Client (1)

A New York lawyer who began a sexual relationship with a client after she hired him for a domestic relations matter was suspended for 18 months by a state appeals court.

The Supreme Court of New York’s Appellate Division, Second Department, said in its July 8 opinion that John H. Hersh knowingly violated a professional conduct rule “in contravention of this State’s strong public policy against sexual relations between an attorney and his or her domestic relations client.”

Hersh and his client began the consensual relationship in April 2012, several months after he began representing her, the court said. It ...