<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Aptos;
panose-1:2 11 0 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:0 0 5 0 0 0 0 2 0 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;
mso-ligatures:standardcontextual;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:11.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style>
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal">Colleagues,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am trying to determine my ethical obligations upon learning that a client (an administrator of an estate) breached her fiduciary duty to the estate by using estate funds for her personal gain. The disclosure was made after I followed
up on multiple requests for her to replenish the advanced fee deposit I require all clients to maintain. She dropped off two post-dated checks to my office (dated 11/15/24 and 12/13/24) and sent an email saying she “used some of the funds in the estate account”
and is “in the process of reimbursing the account,” but it will take her until March to replenish the account.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m floored. I obviously cannot continue representing her. Am I allowed/required to disclose this abuse to the court? To the heirs?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Has anyone run into this unfortunate situation?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks in advance.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="border-collapse:collapse">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="60" valign="top" style="width:45.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Times;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><img width="96" height="95" style="width:1.0in;height:.9895in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DB3134.A2565970" alt="uc%3fexport=download&id=1W3rEcChy0_E0cCfV5up02mkhwnL6eWIs&revid=0B4P5JoIHdbFaR29EbHlRWHFseFV5STZpSUVGeUNPWldkVDFVPQ"></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td width="570" valign="top" style="width:427.25pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#203864;mso-ligatures:none">Inge A. Fordham | Attorney</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Fordham Law, PLLC</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">3218 Sixth Avenue | Tacoma, WA 98406</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Office: (253) 348-2657 | Mobile: (206) 778-3131</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><a href="http://www.fordhamlegal.com"><span style="color:#0563C1">www.fordhamlegal.com</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:5.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#7D888E;mso-ligatures:none">Confidential Communication:</span></b><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#7D888E;mso-ligatures:none"> This email is
sent to a recipient on behalf of an attorney/law firm, and is information intended exclusively for the individual, entity or company to which it is sent. This communication may contain proprietary, privileged or confidential information or may otherwise be
legally exempt from disclosure other than to the intended recipient. If you are not the named addressee, you are not authorized to read, print, retain, copy or otherwise disseminate this message or any part of it. If you have received this email in error,
please notify the sender immediately by email or other communication and delete all copies of the message.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>