Attorney who assaulted woman gets license back

Jill Harmacinski, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
·2 min read

Jun. 19—BOSTON — A Methuen attorney previously sanctioned by the Board of Bar Overseers had his law license reinstated with conditions recently.

Saba Hashem, a Massachusetts attorney since June 1999, had his license to practice law initially suspended in 2015 due to criminal conduct, according to information released by the BBO, which investigates and evaluates complaints against lawyers in the state.

The BBO concluded Hashem could again practice law while remaining in treatment with his current therapist and entering into a mentoring agreement for two years, according to a "judgement of reinstatement" filed in the Supreme Judicial Court on May 20.

Hashem was convicted of assaulting a woman he was dating for two years. On the evening of Oct. 8, 2015, he called and texted the woman, then went to her apartment and banged on the door, according to a statement released by the BBO.

"When she opened the door, (Hashem) picked her up by the shoulders, pushed her down a nearby stairway, choked her on the ground by placing his hands around her neck and spit in her face," according to the BBO.

When the woman got up and went into her apartment, Hashem followed her and "again choked her and bit her upper lip," the BBO statement said.

A friend of the woman's then asked Hashem to leave and he did, according to the statement.

On Nov. 24, 2015, Hashem admitted to sufficient facts (the disciplinary equivalent of a conviction) to one count of strangulation or suffocation and he pleaded guilty to one count of domestic assault and battery, according to the BBO.

On the domestic assault and battery charge Hashem was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in the county jail, with six months to be served and the balance suspended until Nov. 24, 2017, according to the BBO statement.

According to the BBO, Hashem's "misconduct' violated bar rules for engaging in conduct that constitutes a crime and "other conduct reflecting adversely on fitness to practice."

A report from a BBO panel said Hashem's license to practice was being restored because he's shown "improved perception of his ethical obligations, unobscured by personal issues that contributed to his suspension."

The panel also included a list of volunteer and charitable causes Hashem has been involved in including volunteering at a women's shelter and a food bank, mentoring high school, college and law school students, teaching English as a Second Language at the Lawrence Adult Learning Center and Nevins Memorial Library in Methuen, and more.

Also, the panel noted Hashem has been away from practicing law for five years "an absence equal to the typical minimum term of an indefinite suspension."

Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill.