Opinion ID: 1664521
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Formal Charges/Petition for Consent Discipline

Text: Prior to the institution of formal charges by the ODC, respondent filed a petition for consent discipline. In his petition, he admitted that his federal conviction constituted a violation of Rule 8.4(b) (commission of a criminal act reflecting adversely on the lawyer's honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer) of the Rules of Professional Conduct. In addition, respondent admitted that he had paid runners to solicit personal injury clients, in violation of Rule 7.2 (direct contact with prospective clients). For his misconduct, respondent proposed that he be suspended from the practice of law for three years, retroactive to the date of his interim suspension, followed by a two-year period of supervised probation. The petition identified several mitigating factors, including absence of a prior disciplinary record, remorse, and good faith efforts to rectify the consequences of the misconduct, as well as respondent's material and substantial cooperation in the disciplinary and law enforcement investigations of runner-based solicitation in the greater New Orleans area. The ODC filed a concurrence in the petition, praying that the petition be approved and the stipulated form of discipline be imposed.