Title: Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Joseph R. Laumann

State: wisconsin

Issuer: Wisconsin Supreme Court

Document:

2021 WI 83 
 
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN 
 
 
 
 
 
CASE NO.: 
2018AP1478-D 
 
 
 
COMPLETE TITLE: 
In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings  
Against Joseph R. Laumann, Attorney at Law: 
 
Office of Lawyer Regulation, 
          Complainant, 
     v. 
Joseph R. Laumann, 
          Respondent. 
 
 
 
 
 
ATTORNEY LAUMANN REINSTATEMENT PROCEEDINGS 
Reported at 385 Wis. 2d 152,922 N.W.2d 520 
PDC No:2019 WI 3 - Published 
 
 
OPINION FILED: 
November 23, 2021   
SUBMITTED ON BRIEFS: 
        
ORAL ARGUMENT: 
        
 
 
SOURCE OF APPEAL: 
 
 
COURT: 
        
 
COUNTY: 
        
 
JUDGE: 
        
 
 
 
JUSTICES: 
 
Per Curiam. 
NOT PARTICIPATING: 
        
 
 
 
ATTORNEYS: 
 
      
 
 
 
 
2021 WI 83
NOTICE 
This opinion is subject to further 
editing and modification.  The final 
version will appear in the bound 
volume of the official reports.   
No.  2018AP1478-D 
 
 
STATE OF WISCONSIN  
 
 
   : 
IN SUPREME COURT 
 
 
In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings  
Against Joseph R. Laumann, Attorney at Law: 
 
Office of Lawyer Regulation, 
 
          Complainant, 
 
     v. 
 
Joseph R. Laumann, 
 
 
          Respondent. 
FILED 
 
NOV 23, 2021 
 
Sheila T. Reiff 
Clerk of Supreme Court 
 
 
 
 
ATTORNEY reinstatement proceeding.    Reinstatement granted.   
 
¶1 
PER CURIAM.   This court has pending before it Attorney 
Joseph R. Laumann's petition for reinstatement of his license to 
practice law in Wisconsin.  Upon consideration of the reinstatement 
petition; the Office of Lawyer Regulation's (OLR) response 
pursuant to Supreme Court Rule (SCR) 22.30(4); the parties' 
SCR 22.30(5)(a) stipulation; and the OLR's memorandum in support 
of the stipulation, we conclude that Attorney Laumann's petition 
for reinstatement should be granted. 
¶2 
Attorney Laumann was admitted to practice law in 
Wisconsin in 1999.  He had been admitted to practice law in 
No. 
2018AP1478-D   
 
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Maryland in 1998.  Attorney Laumann's Wisconsin law license was 
suspended in May 2008 for failure to comply with continuing legal 
education (CLE) requirements and in October of 2008 for failure to 
pay state bar dues.  The Board of Bar Examiners filed a memorandum 
on June 22, 2021, stating that Attorney Laumann was currently in 
compliance with the court's CLE and ethics and professional 
responsibility requirements.  His Wisconsin law license remains 
administratively suspended for failure to pay state bar dues. 
¶3 
On January 18, 2019, this court suspended Attorney 
Laumann's Wisconsin law license for a period of six months.  See 
In re Disciplinary Proceedings Against Laumann, 2019 WI 3, 385 
Wis. 2d 152, 922 N.W.2d 520.  That suspension was reciprocal to 
that imposed upon Attorney Laumann by the Court of Appeals of 
Maryland.  Attorney Laumann's misconduct in Maryland arose out of 
four separate client matters and included failing to maintain a 
client's funds in trust; misrepresenting to a bankruptcy court 
that he had mailed payments to a bankruptcy trustee; failing to 
maintain adequate trust account records; withdrawing cash from his 
trust account for unauthorized purposes; failing to appear on time 
for a divorce hearing and misrepresenting to a court why he had 
missed the hearing; improperly filing a complaint for child custody 
in one county when he knew that the client had a custody proceeding 
already 
pending 
in 
another 
county; 
improperly 
disclosing 
confidential and privileged information in court filings; failing 
to have a written fee agreement with a client; attempting to 
collect legal fees from a client that had previously been 
No. 
2018AP1478-D   
 
3 
 
collected; and increasing his hourly rate without communicating 
the rate increase to the client.  
¶4 
Attorney Laumann filed a petition for the reinstatement 
of his Wisconsin law license on June 21, 2021.  The OLR 
investigated Attorney Laumann's petition and found he had 
demonstrated that he has satisfied all of the criteria for 
reinstatement.  The OLR noted that Attorney Laumann has maintained 
competence and learning in the law by attendance at identified 
educational activities.  It also noted that Attorney Laumann's 
conduct since his suspension has been exemplary and beyond reproach 
and he has a proper understanding of an attitude toward the 
standards that are imposed upon members of the bar and will act in 
conformity with those standards.  
¶5 
On September 20, 2021, the parties filed a stipulation 
in which the OLR stated that Attorney Laumann has met his 
SCR 22.305 burden to prove by clear, satisfactory, and convincing 
evidence: 
(1) 
That he has the moral character to practice law in 
Wisconsin. 
(2) 
That his resumption of the practice of law will not 
be detrimental to the administration of justice or 
subversive of the public interest. 
(3) 
That his representations in the petition, including 
the representations required by SCR 22.29(4)(a) to 
(m) and 22.29(5), are substantiated. 
(4) 
That he has complied fully with the terms of the 
order of suspension or revocation and with the 
requirements of SCR 22.26. 
No. 
2018AP1478-D   
 
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¶6 
The OLR also filed a memorandum in support of the 
stipulation in which it reiterates that Attorney Laumann has 
satisfactorily complied with the terms of the suspension order and 
the OLR did not identify any adverse material issues during the 
its investigation of Attorney Laumann's reinstatement petition. 
¶7 
The parties' joint stipulation for Attorney Laumann's 
reinstatement is now before us.  Effective January 1, 2021, new 
reinstatement provisions permit this court to consider a 
reinstatement petition by stipulation where, as here, the OLR 
concludes, 
upon 
investigation, 
that 
the 
petitioner 
has 
demonstrated, to the OLR's director's satisfaction, that all of 
the reinstatement criteria have been met.  See SCR 22.305 and 
SCR 22.29(4).  The court considers the petition and stipulation 
without the appointment of a referee and may approve the 
stipulation and reinstate the petitioner's law license; the court 
may reject the stipulation and refer the petition to a referee for 
a hearing; or the court may direct the parties to consider 
modifications to the stipulation.  SCR 22.30(5)(b). 
¶8 
Based on the stipulation, and noting that the record 
contains no evidence to the contrary, we conclude that Attorney 
Laumann has established by clear, satisfactory, and convincing 
evidence that he has satisfied all of the criteria necessary for 
reinstatement.  Accordingly, we accept the parties' stipulation 
pursuant to SCR 22.30(5)(b), and we reinstate Attorney Laumann's 
license to practice law in Wisconsin, effective the date of this 
order.   
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2018AP1478-D   
 
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¶9 
IT IS ORDERED that the petition for reinstatement of 
Joseph R. Laumann to practice law in Wisconsin is granted, 
effective the date of this order.   
¶10 IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the administrative suspension 
of Joseph R. Laumann's license to practice law in Wisconsin, due 
to his failure to pay mandatory bar dues shall remain in effect 
until that reason for the administrative suspension has been 
rectified pursuant to SCR 22.28(1). 
¶11 IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that exhibits 1 and 2 attached to 
the reinstatement petition, which contain medical and financial 
records, shall remain sealed until further order of the court. 
¶12 IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that no costs will be imposed in 
connection with this reinstatement proceeding. 
 
No. 
2018AP1478-D   
 
 
 
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