February 22, 2013 - Oregon State Bar

BOG Agenda Memo — CSF Claims Recommended for Payment
February 22, 2013 Page 5
No. 2012-63 McBRIDE (Lua) - $2,500
McBride was hired in January 2012 to complete Claimant’s immigration case. He and his
wife had filed some initial papers on their own, but wanted an attorney to handle the later
stages. Claimant paid McBride a flat fee of $2,500.
After the initial meeting, Claimant heard nothing from McBride and received no
documentation or correspondence. Her calls to the office went unanswered. There is no
evidence that McBride did anything on the matter.
The investigator spoke to Keith Karnes, who was McBride’s partner at the time of
McBride’s suspension. Karnes reported that McBride admitted to taking fees for work he was
not going to be able to complete.
No. 2012-76 McBRIDE (Hernandez-Rodriguez) - $4,100
Claimant hired McBride on January 17, 2012 to handle immigration and criminal defense
matters. He paid a flat fee of $5,000; the agreement provided that if the representation
terminated before the matters were concluded, McBride’s would be compensated at the rate
of $300/hour for any work completed.
Claimant reports that McBride arranged for his bail and attended a hearing in the
criminal case and that one of McBride’s associates covered an immigration Master Hearing
(essentially a scheduling hearing).
Claimant heard nothing more from McBride’s and learned of McBride’s suspension
when he went to the office in August 2012 and found a notice posted on the door.
The CSF Committee recommends reimbursing Claimant for all but $900 of the fee paid
in recognition of the fact that McBride did some work on the matters.
No. 2012-78 McBRIDE (Cortes-Hernandez) - $3,300
Claimant hired McBride in November 2011 for immigration and criminal cases. Between
November 2011 and July 2012, he had paid McBride $4,200. The last Two payments were made
May 29 and July 2, 2012.
According to Claimant, McBride participated by telephone in a Master Hearing at the
end of November 2011 and another on May 3, 2012. In July, Claimant received a letter
informing him that McBride had closed his office.
Although there was no copy of it in this case, the CSF Committee assumed that McBride
had the same agreement with this Claimant as with other clients: a flat fee, but an
understanding that his time would be charged at $300/hour if the representation terminated