Walworth County attorney admits to misconduct

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A Walworth County attorney is admitting to improperly benefiting from a will she had drafted and agreeing that her license should be suspended.

The Office of Lawyer Regulation charged Linda Gray in June with improperly benefiting from a will she had drafted.

The OLR alleged that Gray, who practices in East Troy, had drafted and executed a will for a woman in New Berlin in 2013 that bequeathed the balance of the estate to Gray. When the woman died in 2015, Gray received nearly $300,000 from the woman’s estate.

State Supreme Court rules prohibit lawyers from significantly benefiting from wills they draft for their clients, except under certain circumstances, such as when a client is a relative. Gray was not related to the woman.

The OLR sought a 60-day suspension of Gray’s license.

The OLR and Gray reached a stipulation filed on Tuesday in which Gray pleaded no contest to the single count of misconduct and admitted that the facts laid out in the June complaint were true. According to the stipulation, both the OLR and Gray agreed that the 60-day suspension is appropriate discipline.

The two parties are asking the referee in the case, Jonathan Goodman, to accept the stipulation.

Gray is represented by the Madison attorney Saul Glazer of Axley Brynelson, and the OLR is represented by its assistant litigation counsel, Jonathan Hendrix.

Gray, who has been admitted to practice since 1982, has never been disciplined by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Her license is active and in good standing, according to the OLR and State Bar websites. Follow @erikastrebel