Former lawyer William Carey Linde suspended for four months for professional misconduct

Former lawyer William Carey Linde has received a four-month suspension for committing professional misconduct. The hearing panel also ordered Linde to pay costs of $12,168.75.

The hearing panel found that Linde breached court orders by posting or failing to remove eight online documents and breached the same court orders by making several statements in two interviews that were reproduced in postings online. He also breached a court order when he provided personal and health information about a minor to a media outlet during a recorded interview.

The hearing panel took into consideration the importance of maintaining public confidence in the legal profession and that breaching a court order is one of the most serious forms of misconduct. Linde’s professional conduct record includes 10 conduct reviews, two conditions on practice, one instance of recommendations by practice standards and one administrative suspension. The panel found his professional conduct record to be an aggravating factor and revealed a common theme of problematic public communications and advocacy  beyond the appropriate bounds of ethics. 

Linde retired in 2023 and is a former member. If Linde applies for reinstatement and his application for reinstatement is granted, the four-month suspension will commence on the first business day following his reinstatement.

For the panel’s detailed reasons, read the decision.