Illinois attorney faces discipline in Wisconsin

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An Illinois attorney faces a six-month license suspension in Wisconsin over misconduct in his home state.

According to a complaint filed June 29 by the Office of Lawyer Regulation, Michael Cummings failed to report to Wisconsin authorities that the Illinois Supreme Court had suspended his license in March for six months.

Cummings, who is now unemployed, had been a construction attorney at Highland Park, Ill.-based Emalfarb, Swan & Bain when he was charged in 2014 with preparing and filing a mechanic’s lien for Hallway Plumbing, which was embroiled in a dispute with a subcontractor, according to documents from Illinois’ lawyer-discipline agency, the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. Cummings in fact never drafted or filed the lien and instead fabricated a document that appeared to be a lien that had been submitted to the county recorder and presented it to the client.

When Hallway found out, the firm sued Cummings. The two reached a settlement in December 2015, and Cummins paid a settlement in 2016.

The OLR is seeking a reciprocal six-month suspension of Cummings’ Wisconsin license. Cummings, who graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1995, had been licensed to practice law in Wisconsin since 1997. His license has been suspended since 2000 for failing to pay mandatory dues.

The OLR is also seeking an order requiring Cummings to inform the court in writing within 20 days whether the reciprocal discipline is warranted and of any facts relevant to the disciplinary matter.