How could a lawyer be more unethical?

As unethical, sure: I am confident that there have been other lawyers who are tied with this Michigan lawyer for the title. But more? Consider:

Marco Bisbikis, a Michigan lawyer in good standing, worked as an attorney for the Dan Hutchinson and his wife, wrote himself into popular Oakland County jeweler’s will while he was preparing it for his client, who was also under the impression that his attorney was a loyal friend. (Can you blame him? Who wouldn’t trust a face like that?)

Then Bisbikis paid a hit man to shoot and kill Hutchinson so the lawyer could inherit millions of dollars in a trust fund. On June 1, 2022, outside an Oak Park pawn shop, the hit man did just that. Bisbikis and the hired killer, Roy Larry, were convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation of murder, and felony firearm and in June they were both sentenced life in prison. Two other men involved in the plot were convicted and sentenced last year.

Law 360’s headline today was “Mich. Atty Guilty Of Murdering Client Faces Disbarment.” Why would that qualify as news? A lawyer who commits a serious felony will always be disbarred. Disbarment often follows unethically preparing a will in which the lawyer is a beneficiary. That’s a serious ethics rules breach. Plotting to have the client murdered in such a scenario so the lawyer can collect from the estate adds a whole extra level of juicy unethical villainy.

I’m wracking my brain to think of a more unethical lawyer. As disgusting as Trump’s ex-fixer Michael Cohen is, he’s Atticus Finch compared to Marco Bisbikis. Alex Murdaugh? He killed his wife and son (maybe) and stole his clients’ money, but he didn’t murder his clients. Tom Girardi stole millions from many clients in California, but he didn’t kill any of them. Charles Guiteau was a disbarred lawyer already when he shot President Garfield, but technically he wasn’t a lawyer any more when he did it, and Garfield wasn’t a client.

Now watch Michigan decide that Bisbikis deserves clemency because it was his first offense. It wouldn’t be the worst decision by a court I’ve seen this year. Well, maybe tied…