MontCo exec. stands behind lucrative appointment Maryland’s highest court has suspended the law license of a major ally of Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, causing some critics to question whether the executive appointee and former County Council member should hold a nearly $200,000 position to “coordinate communication” among law enforcement agencies.
In an opinion released Tuesday, the Maryland Court of Appeals suspended the law license of Michael Subin, the director of the county’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission, for 90 days — effective Aug. 1 — after he took thousands of dollars from a trust account reserved for his legal clients.
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Subin “used his attorney trust account for business/personal purposes … resulting in trust funds being utilized for unauthorized purposes,” according to a complaint filed by the Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland, which oversees the conduct of lawyers practicing in the state. The commission did not allege that any client ultimately lost money.
Amounting to a settlement of sorts, Subin acknowledged that “sufficient evidence could be produced to sustain the allegations of misconduct,” but both sides agreed to the suspension in lieu of a future hearing. Subin, who operates a law firm in Rockville, faced potential disbarment but is now allowed to reapply for his license when the suspension concludes.
Subin previously told The Washington Examiner the episode was a “bookkeeping error.” He did not return calls for comment Tuesday.
Leggett is standing behind Subin, who has remained an active supporter of Montgomery’s top-elected official since the pair were elected to the County Council together 25 years ago.
“It doesn’t really affect what he’s doing for the county,” said Leggett spokesman Patrick Lacefield. “The work doesn’t involve him being an attorney.”
But others questioned how somebody forced out of the legal community could maintain a role as the voice for public safety agencies.
“It’s very troubling that the director of the CJCC lost his law license,” said Councilman Hans Riemer, D-at large. “The question is whether this would be acceptable for anyone else. It sounds like special treatment to me.”
The Examiner first reported Subin’s government salary and that he handled nearly 90 cases for his private law firm while collecting taxpayer-funded paychecks to head a commission that formally meets four times a year.
After that revelation, Leggett added zoning duties to Subin’s role — and gave him a nearly $40,000 raise, bringing his total salary to $195,000 this fiscal year.
