April 2016 Discipline

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These lawyers were the subject of Louisiana Supreme Court disciplinary orders or Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board recommendations that were made public during the month of April 2016.

Louisiana Supreme Court

  1. Michael T. Bell. The court accepted a joint petition for consent discipline, and ordered that the respondent be publicly reprimanded. ODC had commenced an investigation into allegations that the respondent engaged in conduct constituting a conflict of interest.
  2. Keith Michael Coutoure. The court accepted a joint petition for consent discipline, and ordered that the respondent be publicly reprimanded.  ODC had commenced an investigation into allegations that the respondent neglected a legal matter, failed to communicate with his client, and failed to properly terminate the representation of the client.
  3. E. Eric Guirard. By a 4-3 vote, the court ordered that the respondent be immediately readmitted to the practice of law in Louisiana, subject to a two-year period of supervised probation. The respondent was disbarred in 2009 for engaging in conflicts of interest, failing to supervise nonlawyer staff, engaging in impermissible fee-sharing with nonlawyers, and facilitating the unauthorized practice of law by nonlawyers. Justices Knoll, Clark, and Crichton dissented.
  4. Cynthia Marchese Wallace. The court granted the respondent’s petition for permanent resignation in lieu of discipline. ODC had commenced an investigation into allegations that the respondent, in her capacity as the property manager of a condominium association, embezzled funds from the association’s bank account.
  5. Gregory Thomas Akers. The court accepted a joint petition for consent discipline, and ordered that the respondent be suspended from the practice of law for a year and a day, all deferred. ODC had commenced an investigation into allegations that the respondent was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.He thereafter provided false and misleading information to an administrative law judge and to a clinical psychologist regarding the circumstances of his arrest.
  6. Jarvis Martez Antwine. The court accepted a joint petition for consent discipline, and ordered that the respondent be publicly reprimanded. ODC had commenced an investigation into allegations that respondent failed to communicate with a client, failed to reduce a contingent fee agreement to writing, and failed to comply with the requirements for a division of fees between lawyers who are not in the same firm.
  7. Alfred Octave Pavy. The court granted the respondent’s petition for permanent resignation in lieu of discipline. ODC had commenced an investigation into allegations that the respondent commingled and converted client funds.
  8. Heather Ree Slay. The court granted the respondent’s petition for permanent resignation in lieu of discipline. ODC had commenced an investigation into allegations that the respondent filed a pleading in a civil suit pending in Louisiana, although she is not licensed to practice law in this state and had not been been admitted pro hac vice.
  9. Walter C. Dumas. The court granted the respondent’s petition for permanent resignation in lieu of discipline. ODC had commenced an investigation into allegations that the respondent committed serious misconduct, the most significant of which involved conversion of client and third-party funds.
  10. Roy Joseph Richard, Jr. The court ordered that the respondent be suspended from the practice of law for a year and a day, all but sixty days deferred. The respondent neglected to deposit a check into his IOLTA account, which resulted in an overdraft of the account. Though the overdraft caused no harm, the respondent subsequently failed to respond to and cooperate with the ODC.
  11. Kenya J. Rounds. The court accepted a joint petition for consent discipline, and ordered that the respondent be suspended from the practice of law for six months, all deferred. ODC had commenced an investigation into allegations that the respondent commingled client and personal funds.

Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board

  1. Randy J. Ungar. The Board recommended that the respondent be reinstated to the practice of law. The respondent was previously suspended for withholding information from his clients regarding a settlement to collect an excessive fee.

Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board Hearing Committees

  1. June A. Placer. Hearing Committee No. 27 recommended that the respondent be permanently disbarred. The respondent submitted false evidence, was arrested for driving while intoxicated, and was arrested for theft.
  2. Roger Wayne Kitchens. Hearing Committee No. 33 recommended that the respondent be suspended for a year and a day, six months deferred. The respondent failed to communicate with his clients regarding a check they were owed, and he failed to cooperate with the ODC in its investigation.
  3. Joseph M. Bruno.  Hearing Committee No. 9 recommended that the respondent be suspended for a year and a day, all but ninety days deferred. The respondent failed to reasonably consult with a client, failed to act with diligence, and failed to timely file a lawsuit for a disputed claim.
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