A state disciplinary board has suspended a local attorney for her conduct.
The Supreme Court of Ohio’s Board of Professional Conduct found that Natalie Jonnelle Bahan acted inappropriately when she tried to establish a client-lawyer relationship with Rosalie Kennedy after she was arrested for murder. The board wrote that Bahan, a Bellefontaine based attorney with an office at 122 E. Fifth St., “demonstrated a selfish motive in that her actions were clearly spurred by her self-interest.”
The board suspended Bahan from practicing law for six months. The suspension was stayed, “on the condition that (Bahan) refrains from further misconduct and pays the cost of these proceedings.”
In a recently released report, the professional conduct board found that “based on the totality of the evidence, pecuniary gain was clearly a significant motivation, if not the sole motivation.”
On March 10, 2017, Kennedy was arrested and charged with shooting and killing her husband at their Rushsylvania home. In testimony during a December hearing, another attorney testified that Bahan told her she wanted to work with another attorney representing Kennedy. She said she wanted higher profile cases, but a local judge would not assign murder trials unless she had experience.
By working as co-council on a murder case, Bahan hoped she would become certified for court appointment in other, more financially lucrative murder cases.
Bahan went to the jail, unsolicited, to give Kennedy advice. The attorney told Kennedy and others that she wanted to protect the defendant’s rights. Bahan went back to the jail two days later and offered a “fee agreement” with a quoted estimate of $50,000. The agreement listed Bahan as the only council, though she had already approached the other, more experienced attorney about working together.
Bahan also met with Kennedy’s family to inspect the crime scene and discuss family finances. She also presented the fee agreement and asked for a down payment from the daughters.
She met with Kennedy again on March 16, 2017. At that time, Kennedy told Bahan that she was using another attorney for representation.
That evening, Bahan sent a text message to one of Kennedy’s daughter’s saying that if Kennedy wanted to use another attorney, she couldn’t stop her, but Bahan added “hope I get paid for what I did.”
A month later, Bahan sent Kennedy a bill for $1,400, including $300 for the first, unsolicited meeting.
Kennedy did not pay the bill and Bahan did not push for collection. Eventually the woman was convicted of murder and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
Bahan was referred to the Board of Professional Conduct for discipline after a Logan County judge learned about her actions.
The board determined that in addition to the proposed fee agreement and eventual bill for services, Bahan wanted to work the case “in order to gain not just experience but significant exposure in the Bellefontaine community.”
“This exposure would obviously give (Bahan) a heightened reputation for handling serious criminal defense and litigation matters which would ultimately benefit her financially,” according to the board report.
The board wrote that Bahan claims she wanted to offer advice and protect Kennedy’s rights “is simply not credible.”
It also acknowledged that Bahan’s actions did not impede Kennedy’s defense, the case against her or her ability to select council.
“Rather than engaging in a course of conduct, this was a one-time incident whereby (Bahan) exhibited a lapse of judgment with the goal of securing a role as co-council with a capable local attorney on a high-profile case that would pay a sizable fee and garner significant press attention to promote her reputation in the community,” according to the board. “(Bahan’s) plan fell apart quickly, she was angered by Kennedy’s decision to hire someone else and she sent a bill for payment of services despite her claim that she was only trying to assist Kennedy.”
The board wrote that if Bahan had admitted she wanted the fee and the exposure, she would have received a public reprimand. However, when Bahan refused to acknowledge her “wrongful conduct” the board felt the suspension was “more appropriate.”
According to Bahan’s website, she offers “aggressive legal representation on all types of legal cases including family law, criminal law, estate planning, or any other legal services.