THE DARK SIDE: Attorney discipline should be left to the attorneys

Listen to this article

Every few months, our local left-wing propaganda machine, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, goes on a new jihad about something or other, whether it be making our already draconian drunk driving laws even more draconian, or trying to outlaw a perfectly safe chemical like BPA.

Its most recent jihad is an attempt to eliminate the Supreme Court’s control over attorney discipline in this state. Frankly, I think the discipline imposed in too many discipline cases is too lenient. But I’ll stand firm against any attempt to strip the Court of its power in this area, nonetheless.

Others have said it more eloquently than I can, but the fundamental point is that non-lawyers simply don’t have the training to decide these cases. Sure, anyone, regardless of their background, could decide that an attorney violated the rules of professional responsibility if he stole from a client. But that’s just a small fraction of the cases OLR handles.

That is why I stand with all reasonable attorneys and proclaim that the regulation of attorneys must be left in the hand of attorneys.

I just wish all attorneys would stand with me and proclaim that the regulation of all factories and farms must be left in the hands of those who own the stock in those factories and farms. After all, presidents, governors and legislators don’t know anything more about running a factory or a farm than they do about practicing law.

Look for more from The Dark Side on David Ziemer’s new blog. Coming to wislawjournal.com.