Title: Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Michael M. Rajek

State: wisconsin

Issuer: Wisconsin Supreme Court

Document:

2015 WI 18 
 
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN 
 
 
 
 
 
CASE NO.: 
2011AP387-D    
COMPLETE TITLE: 
Office of Lawyer Regulation, 
          Complainant-Respondent, 
     v. 
Michael M. Rajek, 
          Respondent-Appellant. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS AGAINST RAJEK 
 
 
OPINION FILED: 
February 20, 2015 
SUBMITTED ON BRIEFS: 
        
ORAL ARGUMENT: 
      
 
 
SOURCE OF APPEAL: 
 
 
COURT: 
        
 
COUNTY: 
      
 
JUDGE: 
      
 
 
 
JUSTICES: 
 
 
CONCURRED: 
        
 
DISSENTED: 
      
 
NOT PARTICIPATING:         
 
 
 
ATTORNEYS: 
 
For the respondent-appellant, there were briefs by Michael 
M. Rajek, Eau Claire, and oral argument by Michael M. Rajek.  
 
 
For the complainant-respondent, there was a brief by Wayne 
A. Arnold, Rice Lake, and oral argument by Wayne A. Arnold. 
 
 
 
2015 WI 18
NOTICE 
This opinion is subject to further 
editing and modification.  The final 
version will appear in the bound 
volume of the official reports.   
No.   2011AP387-D 
 
 
STATE OF WISCONSIN  
 
 
   : 
IN SUPREME COURT 
 
 
In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings 
Against Michael M. Rajek, Attorney at Law: 
 
Office of Lawyer Regulation, 
 
          Complainant-Respondent, 
 
     v. 
 
Michael M. Rajek, 
 
          Respondent-Appellant. 
 
FILED 
 
FEB 20, 2015 
 
Diane M. Fremgen 
Clerk of Supreme Court 
 
 
 
 
ATTORNEY disciplinary proceeding.  Violations found; no 
discipline imposed.   
 
¶1 
PER CURIAM.   Attorney Michael M. Rajek appeals from 
the report of the referee, James G. Curtis, who determined that 
the Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) had proven violations of 
the Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys on five of the 
six 
counts 
alleged 
in 
the 
OLR’s 
amended 
complaint 
and 
recommended that this court publicly reprimand Attorney Rajek 
and require him to pay the full costs of this disciplinary 
proceeding, which were $18,760.87 as of November 22, 2013.   
No. 
2011AP387-D   
 
2 
 
¶2 
When reviewing a referee’s report and recommendation, 
we affirm the referee's findings of fact unless they are clearly 
erroneous, but we review the referee's conclusions of law on a 
de novo basis.  In re Disciplinary Proceedings Against Inglimo, 
2007 WI 126, ¶5, 305 Wis. 2d 71, 740 N.W.2d 125.  We determine 
the appropriate level of discipline to impose given the 
particular facts of each case, independent of the referee's 
recommendation, but benefiting from it.  In re Disciplinary 
Proceedings Against Widule, 2003 WI 34, ¶44, 261 Wis. 2d 45, 660 
N.W.2d 686. 
¶3 
Having 
considered 
the 
referee’s 
report 
and 
the 
parties’ briefs and oral argument on appeal, we conclude that 
Attorney Rajek committed the rule violations on five counts as 
found by the referee.  The violations, however, involved 
relatively minor failures of communication, including failures 
in some instances to provide certain notices or pieces of 
information 
to 
clients 
under 
Supreme 
Court 
Rule 
(SCR) 
20:1.15(b)(4m), which sets forth the alternative procedure for 
handling advanced fees.  They did not involve the sufficiency or 
quality of the legal representation provided by Attorney Rajek 
to his clients.  Given the particular facts of this case and the 
nature of the violations, we determine that it is not necessary 
to impose any discipline on Attorney Rajek and that there is no 
basis for a restitution award.  We do require Attorney Rajek to 
pay costs, but we reduce the amount of costs he must pay to 
$8,500. 
No. 
2011AP387-D   
 
3 
 
¶4 
IT IS ORDERED that Michael M. Rajek is found to have 
committed violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct for 
Attorneys as alleged in Counts 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 of the amended 
complaint, but no discipline shall be imposed upon Michael M. 
Rajek. 
¶5 
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that within 60 days of the date 
of this order, Michael M. Rajek shall pay to the Office of 
Lawyer Regulation costs in the amount of $8,500. 
 
 
No. 
2011AP387-D   
 
 
 
1