WTNH
Ressler.
Just 10 days shy of his 43rd year of being able to practice law in Connecticut, Peter Ressler gave up his right to be called an attorney. But his troubles might not be over.
That’s because the federal government is looking into what happened to the hundreds of thousands of dollars of money that belonged to some of his clients, and have gone missing. Plus, the state plans to look through his bank accounts.
Those revelations emerged in state Superior Court on Church Street Thursday, as Ressler, a New Haven bankruptcy attorney, appears to formally resign his law license.
Back in March Ressler had sent a letter to the Statewide Grievance Committee to state that he had violated two specific rules of professional conduct. He said he planned to resign his license and waive any right to reapply.
During the hearing before Superior Court Judge Brian Fischer Thursday, Ressler, a partner with Groob Ressler & Mulqueen, officially followed through.
At the time that he submitted the letter in March, there had been no grievances filed against him. But Attorney Frances Mickelson-Dera of the Statewide Grievance Committee noted to Fischer Thursday that as of April 1, there is now a grievance pending.
Markeshia Ricks Photo
Dow.
Fischer accepted Ressler’s resignation and ordered, at the request of the Statewide Grievance Committee, that bankruptcy attorney Vincent Merino be appointed as a trustee for Ressler’s remaining clients. He also ordered a state inventory of Ressler’s file and the securing of his client’s fund accounts and any mail. He approved as well a request for an audit of Ressler’s accounts from January 2015 to the present.
Ressler did not speak during the short hearing, other than to respond to questions from the judge. His attorney, William Dow, noted that Ressler had self-reported his misconduct and he is cooperating with an investigation by federal law enforcement authorities. Dow said he could not elaborate on the nature of the federal investigation.
His resignation stems from his apparent failure to account for money belonging to at least two clients.