Judges Aren’t Umpires

An attorney who had been suspended from practice for ethical violations on two prior occasions was suspended for 90 days by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The attorney and disciplinary counsel had agreed that the suspension is the appropriate sanction where the lawyer engaged in misconduct involving “overbilling [the lawyer’s] client…by not showing proper credit for the client’s payments and by overstating the amounts due.” Given the prior instances of what appear to be pretty serious misconduct, it appears that this lawyer got a break. Guess Wisconsin does not subscribe to a “three strikes, you’re out” philosophy for lawyer discipline. (Mike Frisch)