To Escape Disbarment, Attorney Gives Up Law License

Lacy Adell Young's resignation from membership in the Washington State Bar Association became effective from Jan 1. Without admitting the allegations of ethical misconduct raised against her by Jonathan Burke, the senior disciplinary counsel of the bar association, Young said Burke did have evidence to prove the allegations and it was best for her to resign under the new Rule for Enforcement of Lawyer Conduct. Burke had alleged that Young had lied to clients involved in three separate lawsuits, and Young was already on suspension when she resigned.

The statement of alleged misconduct against Young mentioned her as an associate with California-based Herrig & Vogt LLP. The six-page statement enumerated multiple ethics violations. She agreed in her resignation that when applying for any employment, she "will disclose the resignation in response to any question regarding disciplinary action." She will be paying a sum of $1000 as "a confession of judgment" to the bar association.


In one of the instances, someone allegedly tampered with well equipment owned by a Richmond couple who Young represented in water rights litigation. Young got a stipulated preliminary injunction restraining the person. However, she ignored the couple's requests to pursue claims for trespassing and attorney fees. Young told the couple that she did not believe pursuing such claims was necessary and repeatedly evaded requests of the husband. Ultimately, she said that she was waiting until the couple's lawsuit against a water company and another individual was completed.

In 2009, a Benton County Superior Court Judge found in favor of the couple and said they were entitled to a judgment. However, Young never obtained the judgment and gave different stories at different times to her clients.

The complaint against Young shows that at one point, she falsely claimed that the Judge had suggested, "We simply present the judgment during ex parte hours next week." The husband gave drafts of two demand letters to Young to edit and send to the attorneys of the defendants, but Young never followed through. When asked, she later gave fake copies to her clients.

She then went to the extent of telling the couple that she had obtained a judgment, but when the husband asked more information on collecting, Young claimed she would have to wait to see if a notice of appeal was filed. She then falsely told the plaintiffs that one of the defendants had appealed, and even showed them fake documents purporting to be the appeal and copies of a judgment. The documents included forged signatures of George Fearing, an attorney representing one of the defendants, and who is now a Washington Court of Appeals judge.