By Karen Freifeld
NEW YORK, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The son of a well-known Albany
attorney was charged Tuesday with practicing law without a
license.
Terence Kindlon, Jr., 42, illegally represented an
individual accused of criminal mischief in New York State
Supreme Court, according to Manhattan prosecutors.
He was arraigned Tuesday in Manhattan before Acting Supreme
Court Justice Richard D. Carruthers, who set bail at $300,000
bond or $150,000 cash.
Kindlon's father is a criminal defense attorney by the same
first name at Kindlon, Shanks & Associates in Albany.
The son was charged with offering a false instrument for
filing, a felony, and the unauthorized practice of law, a
misdemeanor. If convicted of the top count, he faces up to four
years in prison.
Kindlon has shown contempt of the law "by pretending to be a
lawyer in the same courthouse where he had two open felony
cases," Assistant District Attorney Daniel Cort said Tuesday in
Manhattan State Supreme Court.
In the unrelated cases, prosecutors said, Kindlon was
charged with stealing a motorcycle and a $2,000 bicycle.
Attorney Stacey Richman, who represents Kindlon, said he
attended Benjamin Cardozo School of Law for 2-1/2 years and
completed his law training through an apprenticeship. She said
he passed the bar in February but is not admitted to practice.
Richman said Kindlon suffered from bipolar issues.
"The real tragedy is this situation is truly about mental
health issues," she said.
Kindlon needed treatment, not incarceration, she said.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a
statement that Kindlon "was an impostor who abused the trust of
his purported clients for his own financial gain."
Kindlon's father said in an interview that his son had been
working with former New York state chief judge Sol Wachtler to
get past the character and fitness committee so he could get his
law license.
Kindlon said he didn't think his son would be admitted to
the bar because of his psychological problems.
"We're heartbroken," he said. "It's a tragic situation. We
all stand behind him 100 percent."
The case is People v. Kindlon, New York State Supreme Court,
New York County, No. not immediately available.
For the Manhattan District Attorney: Daniel Cort.
For the defendant: Stacey Richman.
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