On Monday, March 11, 2024, the Supreme Court of Minnesota issued an order suspending attorney Eduardo E. Drake from practicing law for 90 days followed by 2 years of supervised probation. According to the order, Drake was facing allegations of professional misconduct brought forward by the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Eduardo E. Drake,” with case no. A23-0301.
The charges cited Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct 3, 1.4(a)(4), 1.15(a), 1.15(c)(5), 1.15(h).
Specifically, Drake was accused of failing to deposit an advance fee into his trust account, failing to diligently handle a client matter, failing to communicate with a client, lacking proper bookkeeping records for a client payment, not cooperating with the disciplinary investigation against him, and violating terms of an earlier private probation.
Drake unconditionally admitted the allegations against him. He and the Director of the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility jointly agreed to recommend the 90-day suspension and two-year probation. The Supreme Court reviewed the case file and approved this recommended disposition.
As part of the order, Drake must comply with client notification rules during his suspension period and pay $900 in court costs. He is required to submit documentation proving he is up to date on continuing legal education and bar admission requirements to be considered for reinstatement after 90 days. Further, Drake has one year to pass the professional responsibility exam for attorneys.
His reinstatement will be conditional on completing a two-year probation overseen by a court-appointed supervisor. Strict conditions include cooperating fully with the supervisor’s monitoring, maintaining client files and records, promptly responding to all client communications, and establishing office procedures to ensure timely legal work and compliance with probation terms.
The Disposition states:
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT: 1. Respondent Eduardo E. Drake is suspended from the practice of law for a minimum of 90 days, effective 14 days from the date of this order.”
According to avvo.com, Mr. Drake is an intellectual property attorney in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended the University of Virginia School of Law. He acquired his law license in Minnesota in 1994.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
