On Thursday, November 9, 2023, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued an order suspending attorney Michael John Csonka from practicing law in the state for a period of one year. The decision came as a result of a joint petition submitted to the court recommending discipline on consent in Csonka’s disciplinary case.
The case is titled ‘Office of the Disciplinary Counsel v. Michael JohnCsonka’ with case noumber 89 DB 2023.
The cited violations involve Rules 1.1, 1.3, 3.3(a)(1), 8.4(c), and 8.4(d) of the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct which state that:
A lawyer shall provide competent representation to a client. Competent representation requires the legal knowledge, skill, thoroughness, and preparation reasonably necessary for the representation;
A lawyer shall act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client;
A lawyer shall not knowingly make a false statement of material fact or law to a tribunal or fail to correct a false statement of material fact or law previously made to the tribunal by the lawyer;
It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation; and
It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice.
The Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct can be found here.
Allegedly, since 2019, Attorney Csonka has been a cause of concern to the Office of the United States Trustees (UST) and the Bankruptcy Court for non-compliance with bankruptcy rules and procedures. The filings of Attorney Csonka were found to be inaccurate, untimely, and unverified which prompted the UST to review and investigate the conduct of Attorney Csonka. Ultimately, this led to the filing of three sanctions against Attorney Csonka for his errors and material commissions in multiple matters.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court considered the matter under Disciplinary Docket Number 3009. Rather than contest the charges, Attorney Csonka had joined the Office of Disciplinary Counsel in filing a Joint Petition for Discipline by Consent, acknowledging his violations and agreeing to a one-year suspension. In their filing with the Supreme Court, both the Office of Disciplinary Counsel and Attorney Csonka agreed that a one-year suspension was an appropriate sanction.
The Order also required Attorney Csonka to comply with Pennsylvania Rule of Disciplinary Enforcement 217 regarding suspended attorneys. Finally, the Court mandated that Mr. Csonka pay the costs of the disciplinary proceedings to the Board, as outlined in Pennsylvania Rule of Disciplinary Enforcement 208(g).
The disposition reads:
“AND NOW, this 9th day of November 2023, upon consideration of the Recommendation of the Three-Member Panel of the Disciplinary Board, the Joint Petition in Support of Discipline on Consent is granted, and Michael John Csonka is suspended from the Bar of this Commonwealth for a period of one year. Respondent shall comply with the provisions of Pa.R.D.E. 217 and pay costs to the Disciplinary Board.SeePa.R.D.E. 208(g).
According to Avvo, Attorney Michael John Csonka is a lawyer based in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He acquired his license to practice in the state in 2003.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
