Matter of Hyde’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

7 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 7 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “It was also suggested in mitigation that respondent's misconduct was an inappropriate and unfortunate response to pressures at home and at work that he could not handle. Indeed, it was undisputed in the proceedings below that respondent had been well-respected by his peers both within the firm and the larger legal community. These facts, however, do little more than make this occasion all the sadder. Respondent's deceit was not a one time lapse in judgment; rather, it was a pattern of dishonesty that continued for almost two years. The potential for harm to his clients was real and significant. Clients must be able to rely on their lawyers to protect their interests in legal proceedings. They must be able to believe what their lawyers tell them about their cases. By deceiving his clients and abandoning their interests in response to the undeniable pressures of being a young associate and a father, respondent harmed his clients, his firm, and ultimately, himself and his family. The lesson from this case should be clear: the pressures of the practice of law provide neither an excuse nor a mitigating factor for deceit. Dishonest conduct by lawyers will not be tolerated.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. State Ex Rel. Oklahoma Bar Association v. Kinsey