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OLR moves to disbar attorney who notarized will benefiting self

By: Eric Heisig//January 28, 2014//

OLR moves to disbar attorney who notarized will benefiting self

By: Eric Heisig//January 28, 2014//

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An attorney who notarized a will in Arizona that would benefit him financially is facing disbarment in Wisconsin.

Michael Strizic was reprimanded in May and ordered to pay more than $2,000 in fines by a disciplinary judge in Arizona – where he is not licensed to practice law. Wisconsin’s Office of Lawyer Regulation is asking the state Supreme Court to disbar Strizic — who is suspended from practicing here for not paying dues and falling behind on his continuing legal education credit — based on the Arizona case.

In its complaint, the OLR noted that the Arizona judge “would have ordered disbarment” if Strizic was actually licensed to practice in that state.

Arizona court documents show that Strizic notarized a document in March 2007 that named him the trustee of a woman’s will. The document stated that the woman would leave a condo, a horse trailer, a horse and pickup trucks to Strizic’s ex-wife, Beth, according to court papers filed Jan. 23.

The woman died three years after Strizic notarized the will, according to court records. The woman’s sister then, in December 2010, tried to have Strizic removed as a trustee, claiming that he “took advantage of the decedent, who suffered from multiple sclerosis and was an alcoholic, so that he could write himself into decedent’s trust documents as a beneficiary.”

A settlement agreement “to modify and terminate trust entered into between the parties” was reached in May 2011.

All of this happened while Strizic was operating a company called The Tax Edge while working in Mesa, court papers state, even though the company was not registered with the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Strizic also is a member of the Illinois bar, under the name Allan Michael Strizic. However, he is not on its roll and is suspended for not keeping up with his CLE credits. He also has a listing in Denver, though he is not licensed to practice there.

A working phone number for Strizic – who graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School – could not be found. He did not immediately return an email for comment.

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