Bucyrus attorney Adam Stone resigning law license; cites mental health needs

In a statement issued by a family member, Bucyrus attorney Adam Stone said he is permanently resigning his law license.

The announcement Wednesday came in response to an inquiry about a complaint pending before the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel, to which Stone indicated he has submitted his resignation. A spokeswoman for the Ohio Supreme Court Office of Attorney Services said Thursday that her office has not yet received an resignation application from Stone.

Adam Stone explained his decision in a statement released to the media by his brother, Chris Stone,

"Having handled and defended the cases that I have over the last 13 years in state and federal courts, all the things that I saw, and the recent passing of my grandfather and father, created a situation in which my mental health needs addressed in an ongoing fashion," Adam Stone wrote in the statement. "And I am undertaking that process to be better. In fact, my application to resign was supported by correspondence from my mental health care provider who reinforced this decision to leave the practice of law."

'I became lost in case after case'

His first obligation is to his family, Adam Stone wrote, and "for a long time, I had forgotten that and prioritized my life in such a manner that bit by bit I became lost in case after case of rape, murder, child exploitation, and many others. I do not want this for myself or my family anymore."

The Stones announced the decision in response to inquiries about a case filed with the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct on Tuesday regarding a couple who had hired Adam Stone in connection with a wrongful death suit they wanted to pursue.

On Oct. 18, the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel notified the attorney that the formal complaint had been certified to the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct. The complaint was submitted by Joseph M. Caligiuri, disciplinary counsel; and Kelli C. Schmidt and Lia J. Meehan, both assistant disciplinary counsels.

Adam Stone said his resignation had nothing to do with the disciplinary complaint.

Office of Attorney Services has not received resignation

On Wednesday, Chris Stone provided the Telegraph-Forum with a copy of his brother's notarized resignation application, along with a copy of an email sent to Schmidt and Meehan on Oct. 14 to submit the resignation.

"Please advise whether it needs sent elsewhere, as well," Adam Stone's email stated. "My office is already in the process of winding down my practice."

But according to the Ohio Supreme Court's website, such applications must be filed with the Supreme Court Office of Attorney Services.

When reached by email on Thursday, Schmidt did not respond to an inquiry about whether she had received the resignation form.

"If an attorney licensed in the state of Ohio wishes to resign his or her license, the application must be submitted to the Office of Attorney Services of the Supreme Court of Ohio," Schmidt wrote.

Tammy White, Office of Attorney Services manager, said Thursday morning her office had not yet received a resignation application from Stone. "So if it was recently mailed or sent to us, it doesn't appear that we've received it yet," she said.

She acknowledged it was possible an application for resignation could be forwarded by another office. But normally, "it comes to our office first and then it's forwarded to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel," White said.

It his statement on Wednesday, Stone said he had submitted his application last week.

"It is my understanding that Ohio Supreme Court Office of Disciplinary Counsel released its complaint against me to the court and local media sources," Stone wrote "As of this writing, I have not had an opportunity to respond to the allegations. However, well before the filing of this complaint, I already applied with the Office of Attorney Services, as well as Ohio Supreme Court Office of Disciplinary Counsel to resign and forever retire my law license."

Stone said he had not yet read the entire 34-page complaint filed against him.

"The reality is that I am resigning regardless, and I hope that all reading this will respect my privacy and the privacy of my family as I try to peacefully move on from this profession," he wrote.

ggoble@gannett.com

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This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Bucyrus attorney Adam Stone says he is resigning his law license