Compelling mitigation justifies a fully stayed year and a day suspension of an attorney for criminal conduct, according to a Louisiana Hearing Committee recommendation.

The charges involved a June 2018 incident in which the attorney crossed a center line while driving and struck a parked car.

She was arrested for DWI and marijuana, a firearm and nearly $20,000 in cash were found in the car. Her blood alcohol level was nearly double the legal limit.

The mitigation related to a difficult marriage and a 2016 flood that put two feet of water in her home. She moved in with a sister as a result.

She had been driving to look for a dress to wear to a funeral service and had shared a joint with her nephew and had “a little four pack of Sutter Home Chardonnay.

She did not recall the crash.

The money in the car was her savings and has since been used to restore her home. The firearm was legally possessed for protection.

She had no prior record of discipline. (Mike Frisch)