On Monday, August 11, 2025, a three-member hearing committee in the District of Columbia recommended a 30-day suspension, fully stayed in favor of one year of unsupervised probation, for attorney Clyde C. Crane IV, following a negotiated discipline agreement.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Clyde C. Crane IV,” with case number 24-ND-009.
The recommendation, detailed in a 20-page report by the Ad Hoc Hearing Committee of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals Board on Professional Responsibility, stems from allegations of professional misconduct. The committee, chaired by Kathleen Wach, with public member Carolyn Haynesworth-Murrell and attorney member Francine Weiss, reviewed the case during a limited hearing on June 30, 2025.
Crane, with bar number 1003053, faced allegations related to his divorce proceedings in Fairfax County, Virginia. According to the report, Crane and his former spouse, Leslie E. Crane, finalized their divorce in April 2016, incorporating a Property Settlement and Support Agreement requiring Crane to pay spousal support, insurance premiums, and medical expenses. The final divorce order mandated 30 days’ advance notice for any change of address or phone number. In July 2017, Crane emailed his ex-wife from a Yahoo.com account, providing a P.O. Box in Saudi Arabia as his new address, but he did not update the court until October 2019.
In October 2018, Leslie Crane filed a petition alleging that Crane violated the divorce order, prompting the Fairfax County Circuit Court to issue a Rule to Show Cause. Despite attempts to serve Crane at his Saudi Arabia P.O. Box, his former Woodland, Washington address, and via email, he did not appear at hearings in November 2018 or January 2019. The court found service on Crane’s mother-in-law at the Woodland address valid and, in March 2020, held Crane in contempt, ordering him to pay $192,999.32 within 180 days. The Virginia Court of Appeals upheld this ruling in February 2021.
Further, Crane failed to respond to inquiries from the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which began investigating after Leslie Crane’s complaint in October 2022. Despite multiple attempts to contact Crane via email and mail to his registered addresses, he did not respond to letters sent in December 2022 and February 2023 or a Board order in May 2023 compelling a response. On September 10, 2024, Crane acknowledged unreliable mail service in Saudi Arabia and infrequent checking of his registered email, taking responsibility for communication lapses.
The committee found Crane violated Virginia Rule 3.4(d) for knowingly disobeying a court ruling, D.C. Rule 8.1(b) for failing to respond to Disciplinary Counsel, D.C. Rule 8.4(d) for interfering with justice administration, and D.C. Bar Rule XI, § 2(b)(3) for non-compliance with a Board order.
Mitigating factors included Crane’s acceptance of responsibility, satisfaction of the contempt order’s purge terms by August 31, 2024, and lack of prior discipline.
The recommended sanction requires Crane to update his D.C. Bar contact information within 30 days of court approval and comply with a July 2021 Spousal Support Modification Order, providing monthly proof to Disciplinary Counsel. Failure to meet probation terms could result in serving the 30-day suspension.
The D.C. Court of Appeals will review the recommendation for final approval.
According to Avvo, Mr. Crane acquired his law license in the District of Columbia in 2011.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
