Just like any other professional ethics are essential in law. There’s a code that attorneys need to follow in the execution of their duties. However, there are instances where attorneys have been accused of not being ethical in their work, and consequently many have been charged or disbarred from the American bar ("Reporting a Lawyer for Ethics Violations - Lawyers.com", 2019) . Some of the unethical practices include failure to represent their clients fully or even failing to advise their clients accordingly ("The Lawyer's Code of Professional Responsibility", 2019) . Some even go ahead and take advantage of their clients for monetary gain, a vice that goes against the set code of ethics required of them ("Penalties for Violations of State Ethics and Public Corruption Laws", 2019) .
One such lawyer who violated the code of ethics is Keila Ravelo (Rubino et al., 2019) . Keila was a high-flying Biglaw antitrust partner at Wilkie Farr. Previously, she worked at Hunton & Williams. She was charged with fraud and embezzlement of funds belonging to the law firms by creating dummy corporations through which she channeled legal consulting fees from the two firms. However, she paid money to these dummy companies for work not done ("Penalties for Violations of State Ethics and Public Corruption Laws", 2019) . The companies were created jointly with her husband who pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme in 2015. Ravelo was charged with fraudulently obtaining $7.8 million in litigation support fees, together with other charges including tax evasion.
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During the ruling in a District of New Jersey court, Ravelo pleaded guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of tax evasion (Rubino et al., 2019) . She, however, put a condition that all other counts were dropped. She also said she would sell all her assets to pay restitution. This is an example where Ravelo used her position in these firms to fraudulently obtain money by taking advantage of the firms she worked with (Rubino et al., 2019) . Technically, she was stealing from the firms. She was disbarred in the state of New York and jailed for a five-year term. Ravelo failed to observe a conflict of interest by introducing companies that she was a beneficiary in her work ("Rule 1.7 Conflict of Interest: Current Clients - Comment", 2019) . She used these companies to acquire funds illegally without informing her firms or clients. This is against the code of conduct required of attorneys, and subsequently, she used these companies to the disadvantage of her clients and her firms ("Rule 1.7 Conflict of Interest: Current Clients - Comment", 2019) .
Attorney discipline is paramount. It is necessary to have rules set to safeguard the interests of both the clients and the attorneys ("Reporting a Lawyer for Ethics Violations - Lawyers.com", 2019) . Failure to have clear set guidelines and laws guiding the attorneys in their duties would lead to exploitation of the clients by the attorneys ("Reporting a Lawyer for Ethics Violations - Lawyers.com", 2019) . In the Ravelo case, she clearly failed to exercise ethical behavior and took advantage of her clients to obtain money fraudulently. The New York bar was right in disbarring her. This prevents her from practicing law in the state and thus protecting the clients. The court also made the right decision by sentencing her for a five-year prison term ("The Lawyer's Code of Professional Responsibility", 2019) . The requirement that she sells her assets for restitution was also a good idea as this ensured that she does not continue benefiting from the fraudulently obtained property.
References
Penalties for Violations of State Ethics and Public Corruption Laws. (2019). Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/ethics/50-state-chart-criminal-penalties-for-public-corr.aspx
Reporting a Lawyer for Ethics Violations - Lawyers.com. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/research/legal-malpractice/reporting-lawyer-for-ethics-violations.html
Rubino, K., Machina, L., Reuters, T., RECRUITING, K., Law, A., & LEAR, D. (2019). Former Willkie Partner Pleads Guilty To Role In Fraud Scheme. Retrieved from https://abovethelaw.com/2017/11/former-willkie-partner-pleads-guilty-to-role-in-fraud-scheme/?rf=1
Rule 1.7 Conflict of Interest: Current Clients - Comment. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_7_conflict_of_interest_current_clients/comment_on_rule_1_7/
The Lawyer's Code of Professional Responsibility. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.law.cornell.edu/ethics/ny/code/NY_CODE.HTM
