PORTLAND, Maine — The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has rejected a reinstatement request by a Montana attorney, according to the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar.
Edwin R. Jonas III of Lakeside, Montana, was admitted to the Maine bar in 1987 but appears to have never lived or practiced in the state.
He was suspended in 1995 for failing to pay his annual registration fee, according to a release issued Wednesday by the board.
Jonas was suspended in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida, where he also was licensed to practice after a contentious divorce and custody battle with his ex-wife in New Jersey courts. He violated court orders including non-payment of alimony and child support, according to the order. Jonas also took his three minor children out of the country to the Cayman Islands without permission.
He has been reinstated in Pennsylvania but not the other states, according to the 44-page decision on his reinstatement request in Maine.
Maine Supreme Judicial Court Justice Ellen Gorman held a hearing in April on Jonas’ request. Her decision is dated June 22.
She concluded that Jonas had not established by clear and convincing evidence that he possessed the moral qualifications, competency and learning in law required for admission, the release from the board said.
“When a person has demonstrated as little respect for the justice system as Jonas has over the last 25 years, I cannot conclude that ‘it is likely that reinstatement will not be detrimental to the integrity and standing of the bar, the administration of justice, or to the public interest,’” Gorman wrote.