HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) — A Texas attorney who illegally solicited Maui wildfire victims through mass mailings was sentenced to pay court fees but avoided jail time and will not have a criminal conviction on his record.
Houston attorney Eric Dick sent flyers to 27,000 addresses on Maui despite not being licensed to practice law in Hawaii.
Although the attorney general received multiple complaints about out-of-state lawyers soliciting wildfire victims, Dick was the only one charged with a crime.
Flyers promised legal help
The flyers said “you may be entitled to money” and “We are helping your friends and neighbors protect their legal rights and want to help you.” They offered easy steps to sign up with the Dick law firm using a cell phone.
Lawyer Flyer sent to Maui(Huff, Daryl | HNN)
“You can demonize me as much as you want. It doesn’t bother me,” Dick said in an interview with HawaiiNewsNow before he was charged.
An undercover investigator posed as a victim and recorded Dick’s pitch, leading the attorney general to charge him with four misdemeanor counts of unauthorized practice of law and attempted unauthorized practice.
Defense argued no clients meant no crime
Dick never signed up a Hawaii client, prompting his attorney to try to get the case dismissed in July. Judge Peter Cahill rejected that argument.
“There were no clients. How can you practice law without a client your honor?” Dick’s attorney David Cain argued.
“He’s not authorized to do so because he is not a licensed attorney in this state,” Cahill responded.
Sentence only includes court fees
Last week Dick pleaded no contest to all four counts via Zoom without a plea agreement. The attorney general’s office requested a week in jail and a fine, but Judge Cahill only required Dick to pay $220 to the Crime Victims Compensation fund — a standard court fee.
The judge wrote, “It appears to the Court that the Defendant is not likely to again engage in criminal conduct and that the ends of justice and the welfare of society do not require that the Defendant should presently suffer the penalty imposed by law.”
The attorney general said Dick gave $1,000 each to four Lahaina public schools without being asked by either the AG or the court.
Bar association calls case significant
Hawaii Bar Association President Mark Murakami said an attorney being charged with a crime and facing professional discipline sends a significant message even if the sentence doesn’t seem all that tough.
“I’m glad that the attorney general took the stand and enforced the law as written,” Murakami said. “I think that he’s a widely respected, well-regarded judge, and he called the case that was in front of him.”
The judge ordered that if the fees were paid by Dec. 9, there would be no conviction on Dick’s record. The Supreme Court’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel confirmed it is still pursuing sanctions against him and several other out-of-state attorneys, 28 months after the wildfires.
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