A personal injury attorney was handling a negligence claim. The insurance company offered to settle, and the client accepted the settlement offer. Once the settlement agreement was finalized, the insurance company delivered a check for the amount of the settlement to the lawyer’s office. The lawyer was in a hurry to leave for a continuing legal education seminar and put the check in a drawer in his desk. The attorney’s bookkeeper knew the check was in the desk drawer. She took the check, endorsed it over to herself, and forged the attorney’s signature. She then cashed the check and skipped town, never to be seen again. Is the attorney subject to discipline under the Model Rules of Professional Conduct?
