On November 28, 2022, the Supreme Court of New Jersey issued back-to-back suspension orders against East Windsor attorney Edward Harrington Heyburn for multiple instances of misconduct.

The cases are styled In the Matter of Edward Harrington Heyburn and were brought by the Office of Attorney Ethics, under Case Nos. DRB-21-266 and DRB-22-047.

The charges cited Rules of Professional Conduct RPC 1.1(a) (gross neglect); RPC 1.3 (lack of diligence); RPC 1.4(b) (failure to keep client reasonably informed about the status of a matter and to comply with client’s reasonable requests for information), RPC 3.2 (failure to expedite litigation), RPC 3.3(a)(1) (making a false statement of material fact to a tribunal), RPC 8.1(b) (failure to cooperate with disciplinary authorities), RPC 8.4(a) (violating or attempting to violate the Rules of Professional Conduct, knowingly assisting or inducing another to do so, or doing so through the acts of another), RPC 8.4(c) (conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation), and RPC 8.4(d) (engaging in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice).

The Rules of Professional Conduct can be found here.

The following are as alleged and summarized from the filings:

The DRB-21-266 disciplinary matter stemmed from allegations that in a span of almost a decade, Mr. Heyburn made repeated false assurances to his client that his case was pending and doing well, and failed to properly serve a 2011 complaint which resulted in the dismissal of his client’s complaint without prejudice. Thereafter, Mr. Heyburn failed to take corrective action thereby allowing the statute of limitations to run and causing the permanent extinguishment of his client’s potential cause of action.

The DRB-22-047 disciplinary matter, on the other hand, arose from the Office of Attorney Ethics motion for reciprocal discipline concerning Mr. Heyburn’s June 22, 2021 suspension in Pennsylvania for his egregious deception in connection with his applications for pro hac vice admission in Pennsylvania, and his refusal to cooperate with the disciplinary authorities in that jurisdiction, and also for his extensive disciplinary history for dishonest conduct.

The New Jersey Disciplinary Board determined to impose a two-year suspension consecutive to his back-to-back suspension on January 13, 2022, and disbarment for the DRB-21-266 and DRB-22-047 matters, respectively.

Accordingly, the Supreme Court of New Jersey ruled against Mr. Heyburn in relation to his multiple violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct and issued two Orders of Suspension against Heyburn.

The first Order of Suspension suspends Heyburn from the practice of law for a period of two years effective August 11, 2023, while the second Order of Suspension suspends Heyburn for a period of three years effective August 10, 2025.

Mr. Edward Harrington Heyburn has been licensed in New Jersey, as well as in New Jersey. He graduated from the Widener University School of Law in 1997. His info can be found on Avvo.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.