Attorney Olen York III of Milton, WV; ethical misfit

The state of Ohio presented Olen Lee York III with a law license in 2002 after he graduated from the University of Akron Law School.

The West Virginia Office of Disciplinary Counsel recently charged Olen with the following misconduct.

Even though Olen is licensed in Ohio but not in West Virginia, he lives in West Virginia and represents West Virginia clients, but he does not appear in West Virginia state Courts. However, he restricts his practice to patent and trademark matters before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Disciplinary Counsel charged Olen with mishandling client funds. During the relevant time period, Olen was associated with a law firm as an independent contractor. Shortly after he accepted a new position with a different firm, Olen contacted two clients he had previously represented while working for the first firm and deposited payments they owed for patent services into his own personal checking account.

In a lame effort at levity, Olen the Aspiring Standup Comedian had the chutzpah to claim that West Virginia lacked the right to discipline him for misconduct since he wasn’t licensed in West Virginia. Of course Olen’s asinine claims were properly laughed out of court by the Court of Appeals.

All that remains now is to see what punishment the West Virginia Supreme Court metes out to Olen for ripping off his prior law firm.

As we speak (ca. September 2013), Olen the Comedian practices at 15 Riverview Court in Milton, West Virginia, which is about 30 miles west of Charleston.