Attorney Bernard Sykes II of Hanwichport, MA; ethical leprechaun

 The state of Massachusetts presented Bernard G. Sykes III with a law license in 1967 after he graduated from Case Western Reserve University Law School in Cleveland, Ohio. 

The Board of Bar Overseers found Bernard guilty of the following misconduct.

In one matter, a family friend of Bernie and his wife asked that he prepare a will for him. The testator, who was a resident of Vermont, which to change the terms of a prior will because of a recent estrangement from his wife.

The will prepared by Bernie included $10,000 specific bequests to both Bernie and his wife. In addition, Bernie and his wife were named as remainder beneficiaries. Bernie also named himself and his wife as co-executors of the estate.

When the client died, Bernie and his wife retained counsel in Vermont to probate the will. Bernie and his wife were then appointed co-special administrators. The order making the appointment granted them authority to marshal the assets of the estate and to preserve the estate until an administrator was appointed. Under the terms of the court order and under Vermont law, Bernie and his wife did not have authority to make any disbursement to beneficiaries without prior approval of the court.

Subsequently, the wife of the deceased refused to consent to the allowance of the will and advised Bernie and his wife she was contesting the will. Two months later, Bernie and his wife opened an estate account in Massachusetts. Despite the pending issues before the probate court as to whether it was proper for them to be appointed co-executors of the will, Bernie wired $60,000 from the estate account for the purpose of making a payment on a boat in which he had an ownership interest. Bernie so acted without obtaining any prior approval from the probate court in Vermont.

As a consequence of his misconduct, the apologists for Attorney Misfits sitting on the Board of Overseers punished Bernard by gifting him with a complimentary 180-day suspension of his law license.

As we speak (ca. September 2013) Bernard practices with Sykes & Sykes Attorneys, PA at 390 Main Street in Harwichport, Massachusetts.

Attorney Bernard Sykes III of Harwichport, MA; ethical leprechaun