Referee recommends dismissal of disciplinary case against Eau Claire lawyer

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A referee is recommending that the Wisconsin Supreme Court dismiss a disciplinary case against an Eau Claire lawyer.

The case stems from an Office of Lawyer Regulation complaint filed in 2014 alleging that Michael Rajek had failed to respond to Wisconsin State Bar officials after one of his clients disputed a bill for legal services and submitted it to the bar’s arbitration program. The OLR had asked the high court to suspend Rajek’s license for 60 days.

The proceeding was put on hold, though, after the justices in 2015 declined to suspend Rajek’s license in a separate matter. In light of that decision, the OLR reconsidered its position and reached a stipulation with Rajek last year in which Rajek agreed to submit the dispute to the bar’s arbitration program. Following arbitration, a referee was to have decided whether the charges should be dismissed or withdrawn.

In keeping with that stipulation, a referee filed a report April 26 recommending that the case against Rajek be dismissed. The referee also filed a statement recommending that no costs be imposed, arguing that the OLR had not established that any sort of misconduct had occurred. Follow @erikastrebel