Former Pillsbury Winthrop Associate Suspended for Inflating His Job Title

Leigh Jones

The National Law Journal

June 10, 2009

A former Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman associate who told clients that he was senior counsel at the law firm will have his license pulled for 60 days.

A District of Columbia attorney disciplinary committee has recommended that Garland H. Stillwell hand over his license for misrepresenting his employment status at the Washington firm.

The committee also found that Stillwell charged personal expenses to Pillsbury Winthrop's pro bono accounts and represented a client in a matter that created a potential conflict of interest within the firm without disclosing it or seeking a waiver.

Stillwell did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment. He is listed as an associate on the Web site of O'Malley, Miles, Nylen & Gilmore in Calverton, Md.

Pillsbury Winthrop was not immediately available for comment.

In a report issued on June 4, the committee said that the "most complicated factor" in the matter was determining whether the sanction was justified. It found that Stillwell's acknowledgment of his violations, his reimbursement to the firm for its losses, his participation in professional counseling and his lack of previous violations were mitigating factors warranting the 60-day suspension instead of harsher treatment.

Professional responsibility attorney George Clark, who was not involved in the case, said that the 60-day suspension wasn't especially short but that a longer one would not have been unusual considering the number of ethical violations. Clark is a sole practitioner in Washington.

The hearing committee made its recommendation to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in In the Matter of Garland H. Stillwell, No. 2008-D245. The parties agreed to accept the committee's recommendation.

Stillwell graduated from Boston College Law School in 1988 and was an associate general counsel to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.