Ammon Bundy's legal team are now being questioned regarding their intentions in offering legal service to the militants. Experts see some violations on Oregon State Bar Guideline.
During the occupation, Ammon Bundy was educating other militants regarding the constitution while reports say that they also saw lawyers teaching him about possible violations that they have committed during their standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Ryan and Ammon Bundy firmly believed that they are not committing any crime and had not broken any laws but the Oregon-based law firm asked the two if they can represent them.
In her tweeter account last January 9, attorney Lissa Casey tweeted that she is with Brian Boender, a fellow attorney from Arnold Law Firm and said that they have met some very nice men at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. On January 14, Ammon Bundy established Casey's tweet that he had met with lawyers who are wanting to represent them.
Shortly after the meeting, Ammon Bundy was indicted and was arrested for illegal detention of the center's employees. He then kept Casey and Boender as his legal aid. According to legal experts, this move could be a potential violation of Oregon State Bar Guidelines. Though Casey insists that it was a duty-bound call giving the brothers their service, the rule specifically prohibits client solicitation if the attorney's intention is to have monetary gain.
According to Casey, it will be a long and expensive procedure that is why he advised the brothers to source funds for the upcoming case. As of February 5, the page wherein they source their funds has now collected $27,000 out of their $100,000 goal.
According to John Strait, an associate professor at the Seattle University School of Law, the money is not the key point in looking through these ethics violations. The main concerns are if the firm asked the brothers to be their legal aid and if the firm approached them to solicit their business.
Another emerging issue is that whether the lawyers were counseling the militants on how to commit crimes in a smarter way. Reports had come out that the brothers are teaching younger militants on how, when and where to commit violations. In an interview, Ryan Bundy even told reporters that the authorities cannot arrest minors who have violated the law and will let them go later on. Strait said that if that is the case then it is a clear ethics violation.
