No Credibility

A lawyer who ran for a State Representative position in Louisiana was found to have falsified his domicile address in official forms that provided notice of his candidacy. A hearing committee found that “[the attorney] was well aware that public offices have domiciliary requirements and that proper and accurate domicile had to be indicated on the qualifying forms.” While the lawyer was a “pleasant and cooperative witness…[h]is testimony…was not believable. It appeared to vary to fit the circumstances, and in each case, exonerated him from responsibility.” ( I would note that I have seen many bar discipline cases where the fact that the lawyer’s testimony varied to fit the circumstances did not lead to a similar conclusion regarding credibility). The committee recommends a one-year suspension with six months deferred. (Mike Frisch)