No. 06PDJ004.Office of the Presiding Disciplinary Judge of the Supreme Court of Colorado.
February 7, 2006.
Attorney Regulation.
The Presiding Disciplinary Judge approved a Conditional Admission of Misconduct submitted by the parties and publicly censured Respondent Gilbert O. Montoya, Jr. (Attorney Registration No. 08079), with conditions. Respondent did not appropriately safeguard client property when he placed client funds for an advanced cost into his office account instead of a trust account. Respondent also did not provide a written fee agreement to a client within a reasonable time after commencing representation and failed to properly communicate with his client regarding his contingency fee arrangement. Finally, Respondent did not keep his client reasonably informed about the status of a matter. Respondent’s misconduct constituted grounds for the imposition of discipline pursuant to C.R.C.P. 251.5 and violated Colo. RPC 1.4(a), 1.5(b), 1.5(c), and 1.15(a).