By Mike Scarcella
WASHINGTON: A former senior AT&T lawyer who said he raised concerns about the company's compliance with a school discount program has been accused by an attorney disciplinary office of violating ethics rules by sharing information with a whistleblower suing the telecom giant.
The District of Columbia Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which enforces professional rules for attorneys licensed in Washington, said in an allegations filing disclosed on Monday that attorney Theodore Marcus disclosed confidential information to a plaintiff pursuing claims against AT&T in federal courts in Washington and Wisconsin.
Marcus, who has been licensed to practice law in Washington since 1993, "intentionally prejudiced or damaged AT&T while serving as in-house counsel" by providing information to the plaintiff, the office said. He is also accused of violating a rule governing attorney conflicts of interest. Marcus and the head of the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, Phil Fox, declined to comment. AT&T, which is not a party to the proceeding, had no immediate comment.
Marcus resigned from AT&T in 2011 and later joined the Federal Communications Commission, according to Fox's office. An FCC organizational chart lists him as a legal advisor. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Marcus joined BellSouth in 2000 as a senior compliance counsel and became an in-house lawyer at AT&T after its 2006 merger with the company. He led...
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