The Board of Immigration Appeals, the Immigration Courts and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accepted the resignation of attorney Julie Krull during disciplinary proceedings for disbarment.
Krull had been a lawyer in Oregon since 1996 and was also a member of the Louisiana Bar.
These proceedings occurred after Supreme Court of Oregon accepted Krull’s resignation on Nov. 12, 2015. Then on Jan. 13, the Disciplinary Counsel for the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) petitioned for her immediate suspension from practice before the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Immigration Courts.
Furthermore, the Disciplinary Counsel for the DHS asked that Krull be similarly suspended from practice and was granted the petition on Feb. 11.
“[Krull] was required to file a timely answer to the allegations contained in the Notice of Intent to Discipline but has failed to do so,” the DOJ report said. “[Krull’s] failure to file a response within the time period prescribed in the Notice constitutes an admission of the allegations therein, and [she] is now precluded from requesting a hearing on the matter.
The Notice of Intent to Discipline proposed that Krull be disbarred from practicing before the Board and the Immigration Courts. The Disciplinary Counsel for DHS asks the Board to extend that discipline to practice before that agency as well.
Because Krull failed to respond, the regulations directed the Board to adopt the proposed sanction unless there are considerations that compel them to digress from that proposal.
“Because the proposed sanction is appropriate, in light of the fact that on Nov. 12, 2015, the Supreme Court of Oregon accepted the respondent's resignation from the practice of law,” the DOJ document said. “Further, as the respondent is currently under our Feb. 11, 2016, order of suspension, we will deem the respondent's disbarment to have commenced on that date.”
The Supreme Court document stressed that they accepted Krull’s resignation before disbarment proceedings began.
“Effective Nov. 12, 2015, the Oregon Supreme Court accepted the Form B resignation of immigration attorney Julie Krull, who formerly practiced in Portland,” the official Court document said.
At the time of her resignation, a formal complaint was pending against Krull alleging that between April 2008 and August 2014, Krull engaged in misconduct including: neglect of legal matters; failure to keep clients reasonably informed and comply with reasonable requests for information; clearly excessive fees; improper handling of client funds; failure to take steps to protect clients’ interests upon termination of representation; and knowing failure to respond to lawful demands from a disciplinary authority.
Furthermore, six additional complaints were also under investigation, where more of Krull’s clients made similar allegations like those in the previous formal complaint.
“A petition was also pending before the Oregon Supreme Court in which the bar sought Krull’s immediate suspension, pending the outcome of disciplinary proceedings, for her alleged abandonment of her practice and failure to return clients’ unearned fees,” the document said.
The resignation recited that the Professional Liability Fund has taken custody of Krull’s client files.