Recent Rules and Decisions

IN RE W. GLENN SOILEAU (Breaux Bridge), 2022-B-1764 (3/7/2023): The Court permanently disbarred the respondent for counseling a client to engage in criminal conduct, committing criminal acts, and engaging in dishonest conduct.  The factual allegations in the formal charges were deemed admitted pursuant to Louisiana Supreme Court Rule XIX, §11(E)(3).

IN RE CHRISTROPHER ALEXANDER GROSS (New Orleans), 2022-B-1471 (3/14/2023): The Court disbarred the respondent for neglecting legal matters, failing to communicate with clients, failing to refund unearned fees, practicing law while ineligible to do so, engaging in deceitful conduct, and failing to cooperate with the ODC in its investigations.  The factual allegations in the formal charges were deemed admitted pursuant to Louisiana Supreme Court Rule XIX, §11(E)(3).

IN RE RICHARD FORREST WHITE (Lake Charles), 2022-B-1701 (2/24/2023): The Court disbarred the respondent for neglecting a legal matter and continuously misleading the client about the status of the legal matter, engaging in criminal conduct involving illegal drugs, failing to appear for his arraignment and evading a bench warrant for more than five years, ignoring a client's multiple requests for the return of his file, and failing to cooperate with the ODC in three investigations.  The factual allegations in the formal charges were deemed admitted pursuant to Louisiana Supreme Court Rule XIX, §11(E)(3).

IN RE QUIANA MARIE HUNT (Metairie), 2022-B-1792 (3/14/2023): The Court suspended the respondent for one year and one day for failing to fulfill her professional obligations, failing to pay costs associated with a prior disciplinary matter, and failing to cooperate with the ODC in two investigations.  The factual allegations in the formal charges were deemed admitted pursuant to Louisiana Supreme Court Rule XIX, §11(E)(3).

IN RE EDWARD J. McCLOSKEY (Metairie), 2022-B-1680 (3/14/2023): The Court suspended the respondent for two years, with one year deferred, for converting at least $10,288.15 in clerk of court refunds owed to his clients.

Consent Discipline:

IN RE WREN’NEL M. GIBSON (Baton Rouge), 2023-B-0075 (3/7/2023): The Court suspended the respondent for three years for failing to timely disburse settlement funds owed to a client and the client’s medical providers, failing to adequately communicate with the client, converting or allowing the conversion of client funds, failing to timely provide the client with her file upon written request, and failing to cooperate with the ODC in two investigations.

IN RE MICHAEL BLAKE HALE (Lake Charles), 2023-B-0041 (2/24/2023): The Court suspended the respondent for one year and one day, retroactive to the date of his interim suspension (4/21/2022), for neglecting two legal matters, failing to communicate with two clients, engaging in a conflict of interest, failing to return a client’s file, engaging in criminal conduct, and engaging in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.

IN RE PHILIP MONTELEPRE (Kenner), 2023-B-0072 (3/7/2023): The Court suspended the respondent for thirty months, with all but one year and one day deferred, for engaging in a pattern of filing frivolous lawsuits, propounding frivolous and irrelevant discovery, misrepresenting that he was a certified public accountant in a judicial campaign advertisement, violating state and federal law, making fraudulent misrepresentations, and engaging in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.

IN RE BRENDA F. FORD (Mansfield), 2023-B-0073 (3/7/2023): The Court suspended the respondent for six months, with all but ninety days deferred, for engaging in a conflict of interest involving two concurrent clients.

Permanent Resignation in Lieu of Discipline:

IN RE DARRELL KEITH HICKMAN (Alexandria), 2023-B-0093 (3/14/2023).