In the Matter of Chalupowski (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-191-15)
NOTICE: All slip opinions and orders are subject to formal revision and are superseded by the advance sheets and bound volumes of the Official Reports. If you find a typographical error or other formal error, please notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Judicial Court, John Adams Courthouse, 1 Pemberton Square, Suite 2500, Boston, MA, 02108-1750; (617) 557-1030; SJCReporter@sjc.state.ma.us SJC-11548 IN THE MATTER OF MALGORZATA CHALUPOWSKI. December 1, 2015. Attorney at Law, Admission to practice, Bar application. Supreme Judicial Court, Membership in the bar. Practice, Civil, Membership in the bar. On May 16, 2008, Malgorzata Chalupowski applied for admission to the Massachusetts bar. She took and passed the written bar examination in July, 2008. After reviewing the disclosures included in her application, the Board of Bar Examiners (board) requested a meeting to address certain areas of concern. Chalupowski attended an informal meeting with the board in November, 2008, after which the board notified her that it was going to conduct a hearing to determine whether she “is of good moral character and sufficient acquirements and qualifications” for admission to the bar. G. L. c. 221, § 37. See S.J.C. Rule 3:01, § 5.1, as appearing in 411 Mass. 1321 (1992). The board then appointed a special counsel to conduct an investigation prior to the hearing, which included, among other things, meeting with Chalupowski, interviewing various individuals regarding Chalupowski’s character and fitness to practice law, and reviewing numerous documents and other materials. The special counsel submitted a report to the board in August, 2009, and a formal hearing was held in May, 2010. In January, 2011, the board issued its report of nonqualification, concluding that Chalupowski was “lacking in the requisite good moral character, acquirements and qualifications to warrant admission to the bar,” and directing that her application be dismissed unless, within sixty days, she sought relief from this court and a hearing was ordered. See S.J.C. Rule 3:01, § 5.3, as appearing in 411 Mass. 1321 (1992). Chalupowski timely appealed to a single justice of this court who, after a hearing, ordered that her application for admission to the bar be dismissed. Chalupowski now appeals from the single justice’s decision. We agree with the board, and the single justice, that her application for admission to the bar should be dismissed. 1. Background. The board’s decision includes thorough and extensive findings of fact and a well-reasoned discussion of why Chalupowski is not qualified to be admitted to the bar. The single justice, in turn, also issued a detailed and well-reasoned decision. We summarize here only some of the facts detailed by the board, focusing, in particular, on those facts relevant to the board’s two main concerns — Chalupowski’s lack of candor […]