Letter from the Board Chairman

Dear Counsel,

I was appointed to the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board by the Louisiana Supreme Court four years ago and am currently serving as Board chairman.  It has been one of the most rewarding and eye-opening experiences of my legal career.

Few lawyers ever come in contact with the Disciplinary Board, an independent agency established by the state Supreme Court in 1990 to regulate the conduct of attorneys.  I have been impressed with this agency, created with the sole purpose of protecting the public and the practice of law.  Volunteer attorneys and public citizens are vital to preserving the independence of the process.  They serve on the hearing committees and on the 14-member Disciplinary Board.

Louisiana’s Attorney Disciplinary Board is a model for the rest of the country.  In fact, our state was the first to adopt this self-regulatory model as recommended by the American Bar Association.  I urge you as a member of the bar to become involved as a hearing committee member  or to nominate a citizen to serve as a public member of a hearing committee.  You will learn much from this process while contributing to the betterment of our profession.

Sincerely,
R. Steven Tew
2015 Board Chair

Recent Decisions

IN RE: TEISSIER, 2014-B-2442 (2/6/2015)

The Court suspended the respondent for one year and a day, with all but sixty days deferred, for practicing law while certified ineligible and for failing to return a former client’s file. The Court found that the respondent negligently violated a duty owed to the legal system and to the legal profession and intentionally violated a duty owed to his former client.

IN RE JOHN CONRY, 2014-B-1761 (01/28/15)

The Court permanently disbarred the respondent for multiple instances of conversion, neglect of client matters and failure to communicate  with clients. The respondent engaged in a series of trust account violations in which he repeatedly borrowed funds received on behalf of clients and used those funds to pay other clients still awaiting settlement funds.  In addition to converting approximately $188,000 of client funds to his own use, he failed to pay approximately $59,500 owed to third parties. The respondent permanently lost his license to practice law and was ordered to make restitution to his victims including his clients, the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Client Assistance Fund, and all other third parties.

Recent Amendments to Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct and Rule XIX

By Supreme Court order of January 13, 2015, several amendments were enacted:

Rule 1.15(f) was amended to impose a requirement upon lawyers to reconcile their trust accounts on at least a quarterly basis. Reconciliation records must be maintained as mandated by the rule.  This amendment will become effective on April 1, 2015.

Rule XIX, Section 14 was amended to add subsection H which mandates that, except for good cause shown, a respondent who has given a sworn statement to disciplinary counsel shall be entitled to a copy of the statement upon the respondent’s request and at his or her cost.  This rule change became effective upon the signing of the Court’s order on January 13, 2015.

Rule 1.0, Rule 1.6, Rule 1.18, Rule 4.4 and Rule 5.3 were amended.