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SUPREME COURT OF LOUISIANA NO. 97-B-1197 IN RE: ROBERT L. HACKETT C/W NO. 97-B-1202 IN RE: STEPHEN L. DUNNE DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS PER CURIAM* The instant disciplinary proceeding is based upon the filing of formal charges by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel ("ODC") against Robert L. Hackett and Stephen L. Dunne, two

attorneys licensed to practice law in the State of Louisiana, resulting from an alleged breach of an agreement to split legal fees after the dissolution of the law firm of Oestreicher & Hackett and misrepresentations to a district court judge regarding the alleged breach. A review of the underlying facts indicates that Robert L. Hackett and David W. Oestreicher, II were partners in the firm of Oestreicher & Hackett. dissolved in late 1993. After ten years of partnership, the firm Since Whitney National Bank had provided

the firm a $200,000 line of credit and Hackett intended to enter into a partnership with Stephen Dunne, the bank requested that the parties execute an agreement to dissolve the firm of Oestreicher & Hackett and transfer certain obligations and interests in the firm to Dunne so that the line of credit could be extended to the new firm of Hackett & Dunne. The agreement was in the form of a three-

page letter dated November 15, 1995 which was drafted by Hackett and directed to Dunne and Oestreicher for their signatures. The

letter contained various undertakings by the respective parties and the successor firm. The dissolution agreement also included the

provision that the fees from certain of Oestreicher & Hackett's pending cases would be split on a fifty percent basis. The

*

Johnson, J., not on panel.

Rule IV, Part 2,

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Louisiana Law