It is a singular story that has circulated recently in the corridors of the Bordeaux courthouse: the dismissal of a lawyer from the Bordeaux bar who was accused, in particular, of asking a client to masturbate in the toilets of his office. This decision of dismissal, taken a few months ago by the Regional Disciplinary Council of the Court of Appeal of Bordeaux – which brings together elected representatives of the councils of order within the jurisdiction of said court (bars of Bordeaux, Bergerac, Charente , Périgueux and Libourne) – was recently finally, after the lawyer in question withdrew his appeal.
The affair broke out in 2022. A lawsuit seized the then president of Bordeaux for a dispute with his lawyer who accompanied him in divorce proceedings, Romain Pagnac – also known for having been the first deputy mayor of Pian-Médoc and an elected official until 2020. The man , business manager, presents a surprising dispute to say the least. He claims that during meetings with his lawyer, the latter would have ordered him to masturbate in the toilets of his office in order to perform a so-called paternity test, and he would have also taken the epidermis from him, at the level of an arm, for a so-called DNA test. In addition, he accuses his lawyer of creating a false subpoena to make him believe his case was moving forward.
“Attack on the profession”
The complaint is taken seriously and the president immediately launches an ethics investigation. On the basis of the information collected, it initiates disciplinary measures in its capacity as prosecutor. The regional disciplinary council is contacted, a hearing is held, where Romain Pagnac is assisted by a lawyer. The decision to debar him, the harshest sanction in the disciplinary sanctions panel, comes in 2024. “The facts, acknowledged and serious, caused significant damage to the legal profession. This self-regulatory work was necessary,” several sources close to the matter explain on condition of anonymity.
A criminal investigation will also be opened in 2023 by the public prosecutor’s office in Bordeaux and the investigation has been handed over to the judicial police. Romain Pagnac is required to appear in court after previously pleading guilty to the false summons and sentenced to probation.
I ended up telling him, “if you’re sure you’re not the father, take a paternity test”
Contacted by “Sud Ouest”, he admitted to having made “an obscene request” to one of his clients, explaining it with “a moment of anger”. “This client didn’t accept the idea of me starting his divorce by naming a child whose ex said he was the father. I ended up telling him, ‘if you’re sure you’re not the father, then take a paternity test”, and I made this completely obscene request to him in my office. It was a mistake. “On the fake subpoena, he reasons that “with pressure and harassment” from his client to find out where his case was and clarifies that he was sentenced to criminal charges “only for that, to four months in prison”.
Now that he is no longer a lawyer, although he still appears at the Bordeaux bar, and a woman’s voice answers “Mr. Pagnac’s office, hello” when his offices are called, he assures that he no longer practices. “My files are taken over by colleagues. »
