Former judge’s law license suspended for 30 days

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Supreme Court suspended the law license of a retired Clackamas County Circuit judge, finding that after he left the bench and went into private practice, he represented a client without disclosing that he had represented the client’s ex-wife in their divorce.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the court decided Thursday to suspend Steven Maurer’s license for 30 days.

A Supreme Court case summary says the man hired Mauer to represent him in a child custody case after Mauer had presided over the couple’s divorce.

The summary says Mauer didn’t remind the ex-wife that he’d presided over her divorce case and didn’t get her signed consent to proceed as her ex-husband’s lawyer.

Failing to do so would be a professional conduct violation if the divorce proceedings were considered similar and related to the more recent dispute. Maurer contended they were different, but the Supreme Court found that the two were connected.