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 December 2016.
Louisiana Supreme Court
- Michael Sean Reid. The court granted a Petition for Interim Suspension for Threat of Harm and suspended the respondent on an interim basis, effective immediately.
- Mitchel M. Evans II. The court suspended the respondent for a period of three years, with two years deferred. Also the court placed the responded on probation for two years and ordered him to attend the LSBA’s Ethics School. The ODC brought three sets of formal charges against the respondent arising out of nine separate client complaints. The complaints included the following: failure to communicate with clients on multiple occasions; failure to return unearned fees; allowing client claims to prescribe; disclosing confidential information; failing to provide an accounting of paid fees; and failing to cooperate with ODC’s investigation.
- Gregory F. Williams Sr. The court permanently disbarred the respondent from the practice of law after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery while an assistant district attorney in the Fifteenth Judicial District. The respondent received cash payments in conjunction with DWI plea agreements from offenders seeking more lenient plea terms.
- Trisha Ann Ward. The court granted a Joint Petition for Interim Suspension and suspended the respondent on an interim basis, effective immediately.
Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board
There were no Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board recommendations made public in December 2016.
Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board Hearing Committees
- Caleb Kent Aguillard. Hearing Committee #22 recommended that the respondent be suspended from the practice of law for 36 months, with all but 18 months deferred. The ODC brought charges based on three customer complaints for failure to communicate, failure to return unearned fees, and for keeping insufficient funds in client trust accounts. The respondent also recommended that the respondent be required to seek treatment for alcoholism.
- Alvin Anthony Johnson, Jr. Hearing Committee #55 recommended that the respondent be suspended from the practice of law for 3 months, all deferred. Also the committee recommended that the respondent complete LSBA courses in law office management and client trust accounting. ODC’s charges stemmed from an overdraft in a client trust account and various withdrawals of attorney fees directly from trust accounts.
- Robert B. Purser. Hearing Committee #22 recommended that the respondent be permanently disbarred. The ODC brought ten different charges against the respondent, including the following violations: the respondent intentionally caused harms to clients by withholding and converting client funds in multiple client matters, failed to communicate with clients, failed to inform a client of an adverse judgment against the client, held insufficient funds in client trust accounts, and failed to inform clients of his interim suspension.
- Frank Ferrara, Jr. Hearing Committee #27 recommended that the respondent be readmitted to the practice of law. The respondent was suspended from the practice of law in 2013 and adjudged responsible of committing additional misconduct in 2015.
- C. Mignonne Griffing. Hearing Committee #17 recommended that the respondent be suspended for 6 months, and be required to take an additional 40 CLE hours. While a Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, the respondent engaged in an intimate relationship with an FBI agent who was frequently the lead investigator on criminal cases handled by the respondent. The committee noted that the relationship should have been disclosed to the defendants previously prosecuted by the respondent.
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