A sentencing hearing for John D. Duncan, the former Verrill Dana law partner who pleaded guilty this summer to theft and tax evasion, has been postponed until Sept. 23.

The hearing was set for Thursday, but Superior Court Justice Robert Crowley rescheduled because he is presiding over a manslaughter trial at Cumberland County Superior Court in Portland.

Duncan, 54, of Falmouth, admitted to stealing about $300,000 from the Portland firm and from clients, beginning in 1997. He has been permanently disbarred by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.

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A federal court judge on Sept. 4 sentenced Duncan to 28 months in prison for the tax evasion charge. The state prison term likely will run concurrently with the federal sentence, which begins on Oct. 1.

Duncan's lawyer has said Duncan stole the money out of an irrational compulsion to provide more financial security for his wife and two children, despite annual earnings that in some years topped $200,000 at Verrill Dana.