In re Brammer
── In re Brammer ──
Court: District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Date: April 23, 2026
Category: General
Notice: This opinion is subject to formal revision before publication in the Atlantic
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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS
No. 26-BG-0127
IN RE WILLIAM H. BRAMMER, JR., RESPONDENT.
A Member of the Bar of the
District of Columbia Court of Appeals
(Bar Registration No. 478206)
On Report and Recommendation of the Board on
Professional Responsibility Ad Hoc Hearing Committee
Approving Third Amended Petition for Negotiated Discipline
(BDN: 23-ND-004; DDN: 2022-D024)
(Decided April 23, 2026)
Before BECKWITH, MCLEESE, and HOWARD, Associate Judges.
PER CURIAM: This decision is nonprecedential. Please refer to D.C. Bar
R. XI, § 12.1(d), governing the appropriate citation of this opinion.
In this disciplinary matter, the Hearing Committee recommends approval of
the parties’ third amended petition for negotiated attorney discipline. Respondent
William H. Brammer, Jr., acknowledges that, in connection with representation of
clients in a trust matter, he failed to keep his clients apprised of the status of the
matter, specifically regarding fees; failed to explain the matter to the extent
reasonably necessary to permit his clients to make informed decisions regarding the
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representation; worked with an attorney who was not in the same firm as him without
advising his clients in writing of the contemplated division of responsibility,
advising them of the effect of the association of a lawyer outside the firm on the fee
to be charged, obtaining his clients informed consent, and ensuring that the total fee
was reasonable; and engaged in reckless dishonesty in various aspects of
communication with his clients about who worked for his firm and his firm’s
expertise in the type matter for which his clients retained him. As a result,
respondent admits that he violated D.C. R. Pro. Conduct 1.4(a), 1.4(b), 1.5(e), and
8.4(c). The proposed discipline consists of a ninety-day suspension, stayed as to all
but sixty days, followed by two years of unsupervised probation with conditions.
Having reviewed the Committee’s recommendation in accordance with our
procedures in these cases, 1 see D.C. Bar R. XI, § 12.1(d), we agree that this case is
appropriate for negotiated discipline and “the agreed-upon sanction is justified,” In
re Mensah, 262 A.3d 1100, 1104 (D.C. 2021) (per curiam) (internal quotation marks
omitted), in light of reasonably analogous precedents. See, e.g., In re Bailey, 283
A.3d 1199 (D.C. 2022); In re Avery, 189 A.3d 715 (D.C. 2018); see also In re
Teitelbaum, 303 A.3d 52, 56 (D.C. 2023) (providing that a negotiated discipline
petition “may generally omit to charge a violation if, after reasonable factual
We grant the consent motion to file the lodged confidential appendix to the
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recommendation under seal.
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investigation, there is a substantial risk that [the Office of Disciplinary Counsel]
would not be able to establish the violation by clear and convincing evidence”).
Accordingly, it is
ORDERED that respondent William H. Brammer, Jr., is hereby suspended
from the practice of law in the District of Columbia for ninety days, stayed as to all
but sixty days, followed by two years of unsupervised probation with the conditions
that he:
(a) not be the subject of a disciplinary complaint that results in a finding he
violated the disciplinary rules of any jurisdiction where he is licensed during
the probationary period;
(b) notify the Office of Disciplin
{# E23 (Nick, ruling section 1 answer 10): quoting a bill or a court opinion works
the way quoting a news article works. Select a passage above and the same panel
opens: the passage goes to the official you choose, with this document's own
address as its source and its own type. #}