Menomonie attorney charged with forgery, theft

Listen to this article

A Menomonie attorney suspended from practicing law was criminally charged Wednesday with stealing an insurance settlement check from a client.

William Lamb, 53, allegedly took a check worth $10,500 from client Randy Miller without his consent. Lamb was hired by Miller to represent him in a personal injury case against Bristol West Insurance in 2007, according to a criminal complaint.

Upon receiving the settlement check in 2008, Lamb forged Miller’s signature to endorse the check and then deposited it in his personal bank account, according to the complaint.

Lamb is charged with theft, forgery and uttering. If convicted, he faces up to 22 years in prison and $45,000 in fines. He will make an initial appearance April 15 in Dunn County Circuit Court.

Lamb, a 1988 graduate of the Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Ore., is suspended from practicing law, according to the Office of Lawyer Regulation’s website. He has a disciplinary case pending against him for several client matters, including Miller’s, and referee James Erickson recommended in January that the Wisconsin Supreme Court revoke his law license.

Lamb was also suspended by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2011 for ignoring clients and not keeping client money in his trust account.

Lamb could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday. A phone number listed on the State Bar’s website was disconnected.

According to the criminal complaint, Miller authorized Lamb to accept the settlement. Over the next four years, however, “Miller stated that the defendant repeatedly apologized for taking so long to resolve the case.”

In February 2012, Miller contacted Bristol West for a copy of the settlement check. The check had endorsement signatures from Miller and Lamb, the complaint states, and Miller said he never saw the check.

A bank teller later confirmed that the check was deposited into Lamb’s account, the complaint states. Follow @eheisigWLJ