A Newburgh lawyer who was suspended from the practice of law for 15 months in Vermont has been suspended for another two years in New York for hiding the original disciplinary action.
New York authorities discovered that William W. Cobb had been suspended in 2022 in Vermont only after Cobb was denied reinstatement last year by the Vermont Professional Responsibility Program, in part because of his failure to notify New York officials.
The Vermont disciplinary panel had found it troubling that Cobb had failed to notify New York officials and New York clients, “particularly given his history of fabricating evidence to avoid disciplinary consequences” and “a pattern of choosing expediency over candor.”
Cobb was licensed to practice law in Vermont in 2000 and in New York in 2001. His Vermont practice included criminal defense, family law, and civil litigation, and he also served as a probate judge in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.
In 2021, Vermont accused Cobb of failing to represent clients competently and diligently. He had allegedly failed to obtain witness statements, for example; failed to negotiate a better plea deal for a client; failed to prepare properly for a trial; gave confidential information about a client to another lawyer, in an attempt to be part of a legal team and to continue to earn fees; and created inaccurate time-keeping records.
Cobb had “acted in a dishonest, deceptive, self-serving, and bad faith obstructionist manner,” the Vermont disciplinary panel concluded, by submitting inaccurate time records, “in an attempt to avoid disciplinary action.”
Vermont reprimanded Cobb on May 24, 2022 and suspended him from practicing law for 15 months. The Vermont Supreme Court endorsed the decision on Oct. 13, 2022.
At that point, Cobb had 30 days to report the disciplinary action to New York officials. He did not do so, according to the New York appellate court decision issued this past March 26.
When Cobb applied for reinstatement in Vermont in July 2023, he testified that he had notified the attorney grievance committee in White Plains of his suspension. But he did not provide a signed receipt, as proof, and he could not explain why he had not faced a suspension action in New York.
He testified that he went to work at his brother’s law firm in Newburgh, so that he could meet his financial obligations.
William Cobb and his brother, Stephen, said they made a “business decision” not to disclose the Vermont disciplinary action to clients, according to the Vermont disciplinary panel, because they did not want to risk losing clients.
Stephen Cobb “provided a professional lifeline” to his brother, Vermont found, “even if this meant omitting information that might have been relevant to his clients.”
The Vermont disciplinary panel concluded on March 7, 2024, that William Cobb “has not shown evidence of improved honesty or judgment.” It denied his application for reinstatement.
A month later, the Second Appellate Court directed William Cobb to show why he should not be disciplined in New York, based on his conduct in Vermont.
On March 26, a panel of appellate court judges concluded that reciprocal discipline was warranted, based on the Vermont findings, and that a more severe penalty than Vermont’s should be imposed.
Cobb was suspended from practicing law in New York for two years, beginning April 25.
