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Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Earl A. Charlton
State: Wisconsin
Court: Supreme Court
Docket No: 2002 WI 128
Case Date: 11/27/2002
Plaintiff: Office of Lawyer Regulation
Defendant: Earl A. Charlton
Preview:2002  WI  128
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN
CASE NO.:                                          87-1021-D
COMPLETE TITLE:
In  the  Matter  of  Disciplinary  Proceedings
Against  Earl  A.  Charlton,  Attorney  at  Law:
Office  of  Lawyer  Regulation  f/k/a  Board
of  Attorneys  Professional  Responsibility,
Complainant,
v.
Earl  A.  Charlton,
Respondent.
REINSTATEMENT  OF  CHARLTON
OPINION FILED:                                     November  27,  2002
SUBMITTED ON BRIEFS:
ORAL ARGUMENT:
SOURCE OF APPEAL:
COURT:
COUNTY:
JUDGE:
JUSTICES:
CONCURRED:
DISSENTED:
NOT PARTICIPATING:
ATTORNEYS:




2002  WI  128
NOTICE
This  opinion  is  subject  to  further
editing  and  modification.    The  final
version   will   appear   in   the   bound
volume of the official reports.
No.                                                                            87-1021-D
IN  SUPREME  COURT
STATE  OF  WISCONSIN                                                           :
In  the  Matter  of  Disciplinary  Proceedings
Against  Earl  A.  Charlton,  Attorney  at
Law:
Office  of  Lawyer  Regulation  f/k/a  Board                                   FILED
of  Attorneys  Professional  Responsibility,
NOV  27,  2002
Complainant,
Cornelia G. Clark
v.                                                                             Clerk of Supreme Court
Earl  A.  Charlton,
Respondent.
PETITION  for  reinstatement.    Reinstatement  granted.
¶1    PER   CURIAM.      We   review   the   recommendation   of   the
referee   that   Earl   A.   Charlton's   license   to   practice   law   in
Wisconsin  be  reinstated.    The  Office  of  Lawyer  Regulation  (OLR)
and  the  Board  of  Bar  Examiners  join  in  that  recommendation.
¶2    We    adopt    the    referee's    findings    of    fact    and
conclusions  of  law  and  agree  with  his  recommendation  that  Earl
A.  Charlton's  license  to  practice  law  be  reinstated,  subject  to
compliance   with   current   Continuing   Legal   Education                   (CLE)




No.                                                                            87-1021-D
requirements.     In  addition,  Mr.  Charlton  shall  be  required  to
pay  the  costs  of  the  reinstatement  proceeding.
¶3    Earl   Charlton   was   admitted   to   practice   law   in
Wisconsin  in  1950  and  engaged  in  private  practice  in  Milwaukee.
In  1993  Mr.  Charlton's  license  to  practice  law  was  revoked  based
on   professional   misconduct   involving   complex   conflict   of
interest  matters  with  respect  to  business  ventures  in  which  he
was  involved  both  as  a  lawyer  representing  clients  and  as  an
investor.                                                                      The                                                                           misconduct      included                       engaging      in
                                                                               misrepresentations  to  parties  in  business  transactions  in  which
                                                                               he  was  professionally  and  personally  involved,  attempting  to
                                                                               settle  a  client's  case  in  exchange  for  a  favorable  letter  to  the
                                                                               Board   of   Attorneys   Professional   Responsibility                                                                       (BAPR)        (the
                                                                               predecessor  to  OLR),  failing  to  maintain  complete  trust  account
                                                                               records,  making  misrepresentations  to  BAPR,  and  practicing  law
                                                                               under  the  name  of  a  firm  suggesting  a  partnership  or  service
corporation   when   there   was   none.                                                                                                                                     See   In   re   Disciplinary
Proceedings  Against  Charlton,                                                                                                                              174  Wis.  2d   844,                           498  N.W.2d   380
(1993).
¶4    Mr.  Charlton  filed  a  petition  for  reinstatement  in
August                                                                         1998.     After  conducting  public  hearings  BAPR  recommended
against  reinstating  Mr.  Charlton's  license  at  that  time.     This
court  denied  his  petition  for  reinstatement  by  order  dated  May
8,  2001.    This  court  also  waived  the  waiting  period  for  filing  a
new  petition  for  reinstatement  and  provided  that  Mr.  Charlton
could  immediately  file  a  new  petition  for  reinstatement.
2




No.                                                                    87-1021-D
¶5    On  July  6,  2001,  Mr.  Charlton  filed  a  second  petition
for                                                                    reinstatement  of  his  license  under  SCR   22.28.1     Attorney
1  SCR  22.28  provides:  License  reinstatement.
(1)  An  attorney  suspended  from  the  practice  of
law  for  nonpayment  of  state  bar  membership  dues  or
failure  to  comply  with  the  trust  account  certification
requirement  or  continuing  legal  education  requirements
may  seek  reinstatement  under  the  following  rules,  as
applicable:
(a)  An  attorney  whose  suspension  for  nonpayment
of  state  bar  membership  dues  has  been  for  a  period  of
less  than                                                                                                                                                                     3  consecutive  years  may  seek  reinstatement
under  SCR  10.03(6m)(a).
                                                                                                                     (b)  An  attorney  whose  suspension  for  failure  to
comply                                                                 with                                          the                                                       continuing                                        legal   education
                                                                                                                     requirements  has  been  for  a  period  of  less  than                                                                             3
consecutive   years   may   seek   reinstatement   under   SCR
31.11(1).
(c)  An  attorney  whose  suspension  for  nonpayment
of  state  bar  membership  dues  has  been  for  a  period  of
3   or  more  consecutive  years  may  seek  reinstatement
under  SCR  10.03(6m)(b).
(d)  An  attorney  whose  suspension  for  failure  to
comply                                                                 with                                          the                                                       continuing                                        legal   education
                                                                                                                     requirements   has   been   for   a   period   of                                                                   3   or   more
consecutive   years   may   seek   reinstatement   under   SCR
31.11(1m).
(e)  An   attorney   who   has   been   suspended   for
failure  to  comply  with  the  trust  account  certification
requirement                                                            under                                         SCR                                                       20:1.15(g)                                        may     seek
reinstatement  under  SCR  10.03(6m)(c).
(2)  The   license   of   an   attorney   suspended   for
misconduct    for    less    than    six    months    shall    be
reinstated  by  the  supreme  court  upon  the  filing  of  an
affidavit  with  the  director  showing  full  compliance
with  all  the  terms  and  conditions  of  the  order  of
suspension   and   the   director's   notification   to   the
supreme  court  of  the  attorney's  full  compliance.
3




No.                                                                         87-1021-D
Timothy  C.  Vocke  was  assigned  as  referee.     The  referee  held  a
public  hearing  on  the  reinstatement  petition  in  August               2002.
Various  witnesses  testified  at  the  hearing.    The  referee  issued
his  report  and  recommendation  on  September  11,  2002.
¶6    The  referee  found  that  no  evidence  was  presented  at
the  public  hearing  to  cast  doubt  upon  Mr.  Charlton's  present
qualifications   to   practice   law   and   that   Mr.   Charlton   had
satisfactorily    addressed    all    of    the    requirements    for
reinstatement  set  forth  in  SCR  22.29(4).2
(3)  The  license  of  an  attorney  that  is  revoked  or
suspended  for  misconduct  for  six  months  or  more  shall
be  reinstated  pursuant  to  the  procedure  set  forth  in
SCR                                                                         22.29  to   22.33  and  only  by  order  of  the  supreme
court.
2  SCR  22.29(4)  provides:
(4)  The  petition  for  reinstatement  shall  show  all
of  the  following:
(a)  The     petitioner     desires     to     have     the
petitioner's  license  reinstated.
(b)  The  petitioner  has  not  practiced  law  during
the  period  of  suspension  or  revocation.
(c)  The  petitioner  has  complied  fully  with  the
terms  of  the  order  of  suspension  or  revocation  and
will    continue    to    comply    with    them    until    the
petitioner's  license  is  reinstated.
(d)  The  petitioner  has  maintained  competence  and
learning   in   the   law   by   attendance   at   identified
educational  activities.
(e)  The  petitioner's  conduct  since  the  suspension
or  revocation  has  been  exemplary  and  above  reproach.
(f)  The  petitioner  has  a  proper  understanding  of
and  attitude  toward  the  standards  that  are  imposed
4




No.                                                                            87-1021-D
¶7    The  referee's  report  indicates  that  Mr.  Charlton  said
he  fully  understood  that  his  license  to  practice  law  was  revoked
because  of  various  conflicts  of  interest  that  arose  when  he  was
trying   to   represent   himself,   his   businesses,   and   various
partners.     Mr.  Charlton  said  he  not  only  understood  why  his
license  was  revoked  but  agreed  that  revocation  was  appropriate,
and  he  said  he  knows  what  he  has  to  do  in  the  future  to  avoid
conflicts.    He  said  if  his  license  to  practice  law  is  reinstated
he   will   not   provide   legal   services   to   any   of   his   various
businesses.    He  said  the  reason  he  wants  his  license  reinstated
is  so  he  can  be  "of  counsel"  with  his  son's  law  firm  providing
mentoring  and  assistance  to  the  various  attorneys  in  the  firm.
upon  members  of  the  bar  and  will  act  in  conformity
with  the  standards.
(g)  The  petitioner  can  safely  be  recommended  to
the  legal  profession,  the  courts  and  the  public  as  a
person  fit  to  be  consulted  by  others  and  to  represent
them   and   otherwise   act   in   matters   of   trust   and
confidence  and  in  general  to  aid  in  the  administration
of  justice  as  a  member  of  the  bar  and  as  an  officer  of
the  courts.
(h)  The  petitioner  has  fully  complied  with  the
requirements  set  forth  in  SCR  22.26.
(j)  The  petitioner's  proposed  use  of  the  license
if  reinstated.
(k)  A  full  description  of  all  of  the  petitioner's
business  activities  during  the  period  of  suspension  or
revocation.
(m)  The   petitioner   has   made   restitution   to   or
settled  all  claims  of  persons  injured  or  harmed  by
petitioner's  misconduct  or,  if  not,  the  petitioner's
explanation  of  the  failure  or  inability  to  do  so.
5




No.                                                                             87-1021-D
He  said  he  has  no  desire  to  start  his  own  law  practice  and  would
like  an  opportunity  to  handle  cases  on  a  pro  bono  basis.
¶8    After  a  review  of  the  record  we  conclude  that  Earl  A.
Charlton  has  established  by  clear,  satisfactory,  and  convincing
evidence    that    he    has    satisfied    all    the    criteria    for
reinstatement.    Accordingly,  we  adopt  the  referee's  findings  of
fact  and  conclusions  of  law  and  we  agree  with  the  referee's
recommendation  that  Mr.  Charlton's  license  to  practice  law  in
Wisconsin  be  reinstated.
¶9    IT  IS  ORDERED  that  the  petition  for  reinstatement  of
the  license  of  Earl  A.  Charlton  to  practice  law  in  Wisconsin  is
granted,  effective  the  date  of  this  order,  subject  to  compliance
with  current  CLE  requirements.
¶10   IT  IS  FURTHER  ORDERED  that  within  six  months  of  the
date  of  this  order  Earl  A.  Charlton  pay  to  the  OLR  the  costs  of
this  proceeding.     If  the  costs  are  not  paid  within  the  time
specified,  and  absent  a  showing  to  this  court  of  his  inability
to  pay  the  costs  within  that  time,  the  license  of  Earl  A.
Charlton  to  practice  law  in  Wisconsin  shall  be  suspended  until
further  order  of  the  court.
6




No.   87-1021-D
1





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