The Toledo Bar Association has suspended Ohio lawyer Kristin Ann Stahlbush for two years after she inflated billable hours work she had performed as a court-appointed attorney. Stahlbush, who worked in the juvenile and general divisions of Toledo’s Lucas County, had exaggerated her output to the point that she billed for more than 24 hours per day on more than one occasion.

In early 2007, Lucas County staff noticed a pattern of unusual billings in its juvenile division accounts for the previous year. During a subsequent investigation, Stahlbush’s billings were found to have smashed the normal daily quota of 24 hours at least three times, and topped 20 hours a further five times.

On numerous, additional occasions, Stahlbush had charged between 14 and 19 hours per day – hours that her own paperwork did not satisfactorily explain. After drawing a blank with the lawyer, Lucas County referred the matter up to the Toledo Bar Association.

Following its own probe, the Toledo Bar filed a complaint against Stahlbush alleging excessive fees. A further four counts alleged that she had conducted herself in a manner that i) involves dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation; ii) prejudices the administration of justice; iii) adversely reflects on a lawyer’s fitness to practise law, and iv) requires a lawyer’s cooperation with a disciplinary authority.

Adding to the details provided by Lucas County, the Toledo Bar found that for one, 96-hour period, Stahlbush had billed 90.3 hours. For a separate, 144-hour period, she had charged 139.5 hours. The Bar also highlighted Stahlbush’s admission that she had double billed Lucas County for general division work performed on a capital case. She has since returned the unearned portion of those fees.

Despite character references that stressed the effectiveness of her client work, the Toledo Bar ordered on 24 August that Stahlbush should be ‘suspended from practising law in the state of Ohio for two years, with one year stayed on the conditions that she submit to a one-year term of monitored probation and commit no further ethical violations’. If Stahlbush fails to meet those conditions, the stay will be lifted and the full suspension will be served.

All costs were billed to Stahlbush.