Prominent Lawyer Violated Juror Contact Rules

Louis R. “Skip” Miller, a politically connected Los Angeles lawyer who often represents the city, violated State Bar rules by speaking to a juror during a high-profile case, a State Bar of California judge has ruled.

State Bar prosecutors charged Miller with improperly contacting a juror in a high-profile case involving missing photos of the Robert F. Kennedy assassination, and are seeking a two-year suspension of Miller’s license to practice law in California.

During a telephone conference with lawyers Monday, State Bar Court Judge Carlos E. Velarde ruled that Miller had violated the code of professional conduct by meeting with a juror in a 1996 civil case, in which Miller defended the Los Angeles Police Department.

Velarde has set a Dec. 13 disciplinary hearing to decide Miller’s punishment, but settlement negotiations are scheduled for November.

Miller acknowledged that he met with a juror during the trial, but said he did not think it was wrong because the juror had been excused by the court clerk.

“I’ve openly acknowledged what I did, and will accept whatever the judge decides,” Miller said Thursday.

Miller said that before meeting with the juror, he asked Kevin Leichter, then an associate at his Century City law firm, to research the legality of such a meeting. Miller said that Leichter advised him that a meeting was within the rules.

What Leichter did not notice, Miller added, was that the rule had been changed in 1992, barring such contacts. Leichter, who this year became a partner in Miller’s firm, supported Miller’s account in testimony before the judge.

Miller had been representing the LAPD in a $2-million civil suit accusing the department of losing negatives of pictures taken by a high school newspaper photographer of Kennedy’s killing at the Ambassador Hotel during the 1968 presidential campaign.

During the trial, the jury’s foreman asked to be excused to return to his job. The foreman, Robert Pinger, also wrote a letter to the judge stating he was concerned about “rude, abusive and often vicious” behavior by some jurors.

Miller met with the foreman, who had been excused by the court clerk, in a restaurant and discussed the jury’s conduct. After the meeting, Miller petitioned for a mistrial, using a declaration from Pinger as a basis.

The judge denied the petition and reported Miller to the state bar, which licenses lawyers and reviews their conduct.