Background
Katherine Hine, an Ohio attorney (Registration No. 0052217) with a last known business address in Chillicothe, Ohio, became the subject of disciplinary proceedings before the Board of Professional Conduct. The Board filed a certification of default with the Supreme Court of Ohio on January 14, 2026, indicating that Hine had failed to respond or participate in the disciplinary process.
On February 6, 2026, the Supreme Court imposed an interim default suspension on Hine pursuant to Gov.Bar R. V(14)(B)(1). The court then ordered the parties to show cause why the interim suspension should not be converted into an indefinite suspension. No sufficient cause was shown, and the matter was submitted to the court for final disposition.
The Court’s Holding
The Supreme Court of Ohio, with six justices concurring and Justice Brunner not participating, converted Hine’s interim default suspension into an indefinite suspension from the practice of law pursuant to Gov.Bar R. V(14)(E)(1). The court ordered Hine to immediately cease and desist from practicing law in any form, forbidding her from appearing before any court, agency, or public authority on behalf of another, and from counseling, advising, or preparing legal instruments for others.
The court imposed a comprehensive set of wind-down obligations to be completed within 30 days, including notifying current clients and co-counsel of her suspension, returning client files and property, refunding unearned fees, notifying opposing counsel and tribunals of her disqualification, and filing a compliance affidavit with the clerk of court. The court also required Hine to complete continuing legal education credits for each month of suspension and to reimburse within 90 days any amounts awarded against her by the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection.
Key Takeaways
- Failure to engage in Ohio disciplinary proceedings results in a certification of default, an interim suspension, and — absent a showing of cause — conversion to an indefinite suspension.
- An indefinitely suspended attorney is stripped of all rights and privileges of Ohio bar membership and is barred from any form of law practice, including advising clients or drafting legal instruments.
- Reinstatement requires full compliance with Supreme Court Rules for the Government of the Bar of Ohio, satisfaction of all court orders, and an affirmative reinstatement order from the Supreme Court.
- Suspended attorneys must complete detailed client-notification and wind-down steps within 30 days and accumulate CLE credits for each month of suspension before becoming eligible for reinstatement.
Why It Matters
This order illustrates Ohio’s default disciplinary mechanism and the serious consequences that follow when an attorney fails to participate in the professional conduct process. The certification-of-default pathway allows the Supreme Court to act swiftly to protect the public from an unresponsive attorney without the need for a full evidentiary hearing.
For practitioners, the case is a reminder that non-engagement with the Board of Professional Conduct is not a neutral choice — it triggers an automatic escalation to indefinite suspension, with reinstatement conditioned on satisfying a rigorous set of requirements that the attorney must initiate.