High court suspends Green Bay attorney’s license for 6 months

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended a Green Bay attorney’s license for six months over misconduct that includes attempting to transfer money out of his firm’s trust account while in jail and advertising his legal services even though his license had been suspended.

Thursday’s discipline stems from an Office of Lawyer Regulation complaint filed in April 2015 alleging, among other things, that Matthew Schwitzer had engaged in behavior that led to three convictions for telephone harassment and possession of THC and cocaine, and transferred $2,000 from his firm’s trust account to his personal account using an inmate’s cellphone while he was in jail, though the transaction was later reversed.

The OLR also alleged that Schwitzer advertised his legal services on a website although his license had been suspended in 2013 for failing to pay mandatory bar dues, report completing continuing education requirements, and cooperate with the agency’s investigation of his conduct.

The OLR had asked the court to suspend Schwitzer’s license for six months. He later admitted in October to committing all the misdeeds listed in the complaint and accepted the level of discipline the OLR sought.

In January, a referee found the OLR had proved that all four counts of misconduct had occurred and recommended that the Supreme Court suspend Schwitzer’s license.

The justices, in a per curiam decision released Thursday, agreed with the referee and suspended Schwitzer’s license. Schwitzer, a 2006 graduate of the University of Maryland School, was first admitted to practice law in Wisconsin in 2007.

The court also ordered Schwitzer to pay the cost of the disciplinary proceeding, which was $1,661.68 as of May 25. Follow @erikastrebel