The People of the State of Colorado v. Norman B. Beecher

Summary

The hearing board found that Beecher provided incompetent representation by advising his client not to attend a mandatory pretrial conference, failed to attend himself, and delayed addressing the resulting arrest warrant. It found violations of the competence and administration-of-justice rules, but not the rule prohibiting counseling criminal conduct because the People did not prove the required mental states. The board imposed a six-month suspension, conditioned reinstatement on a petition, mental-health evaluation and recommended treatment, and payment of costs.