Milwaukee lawyer denies charges, gets counsel in disciplinary case

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A Milwaukee lawyer facing a three-year suspension of his law license is denying the charges filed against him and has hired an attorney to represent him.

The Office of Lawyer Regulation filed a 69-page complaint against the Milwaukee attorney Thomas Vaitys in June alleging 19 charges of misconduct arising from his representation of a single client in a Milwaukee County estate matter.

According to the allegations, Vaitys fabricated records to hide that he had misused money that he was supposed to be holding in trust, failed to file briefs in a timely manner to the state Court of Appeals and failed to explain in writing the reasons for his fee and the scope of his representation.

Vaitys and another attorney, Thomas Napierala, had been hired to represent the client in the matter. Napierala faces a public reprimand for allegations that he improperly billed the client.

Vaitys filed a preliminary answer on July 20, denying all the charges in the OLR’s complaint. He also asked for permission to file an amended answer through his attorney, Michael Torphy of Brookfield, and for an extension to file that answer.

Rick Esenberg has been appointed referee in the case. He will preside over a public hearing on the matter and submit a report that includes a recommendation for discipline or dismissal. The Wisconsin Supreme Court will review that report and make a final decision in the matter.