On Friday, January 19, 2024, a Hearing Committee recommended approval of a negotiated discipline petition for D.C. attorney Pjerin Lumaj. If approved, Lumaj would receive a fully stayed 30-day suspension, in favor of one year of probation with conditions for violating recordkeeping rules in three client cases.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Pjerin Lumaj,” with case no. 22-ND-003.
The case against Lumaj started in 2018 when three former clients – Altin and Luiza Smajlaj, Stela Vukaj, and Drite Nilaj – filed complaints against him with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel. They alleged issues with communication, case handling, and lack of fee agreements and records in their respective immigration matters that Lumaj had represented them on between 2013 and 2017.
After an investigation, Disciplinary Counsel charged Lumaj with violations of the D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct. On June 15, 2023, Lumaj signed a Petition for Negotiated Discipline acknowledging the misconduct and agreeing to a 30-day stayed suspension and probation terms.
An Ad Hoc Hearing Committee initially approved the petition in August 2023. However, the D.C. Court of Appeals rejected the recommendation in October because the hearing committee did not address potential additional misconduct, such as misappropriation of funds, hinted at in the records. The Court ordered Disciplinary Counsel to provide more information on its investigation into these issues.
In response, the same hearing committee filed a Supplemental Report on January 19, 2024. With this additional context, the hearing committee recommended approving the original negotiated disposition. If accepted by the D.C. Court of Appeals, Lumaj would be suspended for 30 days but have the suspension fully stayed pending one year of probation. Conditions include completing three hours of legal ethics education and committing no further misconduct.
The recommendation states:
“For the reasons stated in the August 14, 2023, Report and Recommendation, and the Confidential Appendix to this Supplemental Report (both of which are attached hereto), it is the recommendation of this Hearing Committee that the Joint Motion for Approval of Negotiated Discipline Petition be granted, that the negotiated disposition be approved and that the Court impose the sanction set forth in Paragraph 12 of the August 14 report: That Respondent should be suspended for thirty days, but that suspension be fully stayed in favor of one year of probation with the following conditions,”
According to avvo.com, Mr. Lumaj acquired his law license in the District of Columbia in 2008.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
