Milwaukee attorney denied reinstatement

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A Milwaukee attorney failed Thursday at her bid for license reinstatement after 11 years out of practice, but still has to pay almost $8,000 for costs of the proceeding.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court denied Jane Edgar’s petition for reinstatement on the grounds that she failed to disclose certain civil actions against her and did not provide enough evidence to support her bid to regain her law license.

Edgar was admitted to practice in 1985, but in 1999 the court suspended her license for two years for converting $11,000 that belonged to a client into a personal business account. In 2003, Edgar entered into a stipulation for an additional one-year suspension for other incidents of professional misconduct.

She filed for reinstatement Sept. 1, 2010.

According to Thursday’s court order, Edgar expressed remorse for the 1999 incident, complied with Continuing Legal Education requirements and made restitution.

But referee Hannah Dugan said Edgar failed to provide witnesses at the reinstatement hearing to support her claims and failed to disclose outstanding tax warrants and a current tax debt of $27,000 to $29,000.

According to the order, Dugan said Edgar failed, “to understand that these unresolved civil lawsuits calls into question whether she, as a practitioner or as a lawyer susceptible to equivocation, can be safely recommended to the legal profession, the courts and the public as a person fit to be consulted by others.”

Dugan recommended the reinstatement be denied. The Supreme Court agreed and ordered Edgar to pay $7,597.25 for cost of the reinstatement proceedings.