OLPR files petition for discipline against St. Paul attorney

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St. Paul attorney Rachel Toberman is in trouble with the law and with the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility.

First, she is charged with hitting a police officer after a traffic accident in St. Paul in 2011. After getting into a car accident at a St. Paul bar, she is accused by police of kicking and swearing at an officer who tried to arrest her. She is charged with obstructing legal process and refusing to take an alcohol breath test. She was licensed to practice in 2008 and according to her LinkedIn profile is a solo and does criminal defense and family law.

This week the OLPR filed a disciplinary petition against Toberman for failing to work on a client’s matter and not disclosing a conflict of interest. According to the petition, she was hired by both parties in a divorce dispute in 2009 for the flat fee of $1,000. She did not disclose the risks to the parties and also told them she would act as a qualified neutral in the case even though she was not listed on the official roster of qualified neutrals.

The husband eventually fired her when she missed several court deadlines in the case and asked for the file back which was not returned. When the OLPR investigated the matter, Toberman failed to respond to requests for information and said through her attorney she was entering an alcohol treatment program. The OLPR later learned she did not enter a treatment program.