On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, the Hearing Board of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission recommended the three-year suspension of Chicago attorney Robby S. Fakhouri for dishonestly misappropriating over $280,000 in client funds.
The case is titled “In the Matter of Robby S. Fakhouri,” and was brought by the Administrator of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, under case no. 2021PR00056.
The charges cited Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct 1.15(a), and 8.4(c), which provide:
A lawyer shall hold the property of clients or third persons that is in a lawyer’s possession in connection with a representation separate from the lawyer’s own property.
It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.
On July 15, 2021, the Administrator filed a complaint against Fakhouri. The allegations pertain to thirteen separate client matters, wherein Fakhouri was accused of mishandling his clients’ funds. Specifically, it is alleged that Fakhouri failed to maintain the clients’ funds, which were in his possession, separate from his own funds, and engaged in dishonest conduct in the process.
Fakhouri admitted most of the factual allegations, and expressed remorse, and stated:
“I know it’s wrong. I regret more than you can imagine. I brought shame to myself, to my practice, to my clients, to my industry, to my profession and it is never going to go away. It is with me for the rest of my life. No matter how much I succeed and move forward, trying to be a better person, sober, representing my clients zealously, I will bear this shame. My clients will have to bear this shame.”
After several hearings on the matter, the Hearing Board found that all the charges of misconduct alleged in the complaint were proved by clear and convincing evidence. The Hearing Board further found that Fakhouri was going through a substance use disorder during the period of his misconduct and that this disorder significantly affected his professional practice and played a role in contributing to the misconduct.
Accordingly, in its Report and Recommendation, the Hearing Board recommended that Fakhouri be suspended for three years and until further order of the Court, stayed after one year by a two-year period of conditional probation.
The report also stated that all clients received their settlement funds prior to the filing of the complaint against Fakhouri.
Mr. Robby S. Fakhouri has been admitted to practice in Illinois since 2014.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
