January 2017 Discipline
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 January 2017. Louisiana Supreme Court …
Failure to Pay Litigation-Related Expenses Can be Disciplinary Misconduct
Can the failure to pay a court reporter’s invoice be sanctionable misconduct “prejudicial to the adminstration of justice”? Yes, according to a recent order by the Louisiana Supreme Court. See In re …
Lawyer’s Comment That “I Hope We Work Together” is Not Enough to Form “Prospective Client” Relationship
After a brief phone conversation about the possibility of serving as local counsel in a defamation matter, a would-be client sent a lawyer an email with the names of the …
Disbarment for Phone Sex
On January 4, 2017, the New Jersey Supreme Court disbarred a lawyer for, among other things, using client trust funds to pay for phone sex. See In re James P. Madden, …
Lawyer Admonished for Trust Accounting Problems “Common in Legal Practice”
The Vermont Supreme Court has privately admonished a lawyer for engaging in trust accounting irregularities that the court noted are “common in legal practice, particularly for small firms and solo …
Proposal for LSBA “Christian Values Preservation Section” Withdrawn
Thankfully, a controversial proposal for the creation of a “Christian Values Preservation Section” was withdrawn from the agenda for the Louisiana State Bar Association House of Delegates mid-year meeting on January …
Louisiana Legal Ethics Book: Revised 2017 Edition Now Available at Amazon
Thousands of complaints are lodged against Louisiana lawyers every year—many due to innocent mistakes about the rules of conduct. Even simple questions can be troubling: When may I shred my closed …
Cloud Computing for Criminal Lawyers: It’s Not the Future Anymore
Dane S. Ciolino article on cloud computing for criminal lawyers, which was published in the December 2016 edition of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers journal The Champion.
Northshore Lawyer Suspended for Accepting Marijuana as Fee
On January 20, 2017, the Louisiana Supreme Court suspended St. Tammany Parish lawyer James D. Mecca for one year as a result of his acceptance of “marijuana in exchange for …
LSBA to Consider Resolution to Create “Christian Values Preservation Section”
The Louisiana State Bar Association House of Delegates will meet in Baton Rouge on Saturday, January 21, 2017. On the agenda for the meeting as Resolution No. 6 is a …