Practice Ready

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has reinstated an attorney suspended for one year in February 2013

In assessing Attorney Siderits’s moral character and whether his resumption of the practice of law would be detrimental to the administration of justice or subversive of the public interest, the referee pointed to statements in character reference letters submitted by Attorney Siderits at the public hearing.  The referee also noted Attorney Siderits’s testimony at the public hearing wherein he acknowledged his past professional misconduct and made a commitment not to engage in unethical practices or professional misconduct in the future should his license to practice law be reinstated.  The referee concluded by saying:

Mr. Siderits has paid a very significant price for his professional misconduct, has shown that he understands his ethical duties and can be readmitted to practice, being mindful of those duties and the need for compliance.  His suspension has resulted in significant economic hardship to him and his family, and reinstatement of his law license will allow him not only to resume his career as an attorney, but to be better able to adequately support his wife and children and assist his children to attend college.  Accordingly, I recommend that Matthew Siderits’ petition for reinstatement be granted.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on the misconduct that led to the suspension, which involved padding his billing hours in order to get bonus payments from his law firm. (Mike Frisch)