Professional Responsibility — suspension

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Wisconsin Supreme Court

Civil

Professional Responsibility — suspension

Where attorney Stephan Walter Addison received a 60-day suspension in Illinois, reciprocal discipline is appropriate.

“[I]t is important to remember that this matter is being presented to us in the context of a reciprocal discipline matter, not as a review of a referee’s report or a stipulation in the first instance. As commonly occurs in such situations, the OLR allowed the Illinois Commission to take the lead in investigating and prosecuting Attorney Addison’s professional misconduct because Illinois was his primary place of practice and Illinois committed significant resources to investigating the matter. According to the OLR, it maintained communication with the Illinois Commission throughout the three-year pendency of the Illinois investigation and disciplinary proceeding. In addition, it reviewed the voluminous documents provided by the Illinois Commission before it ultimately determined to seek the imposition of reciprocal discipline.”

“In a reciprocal discipline matter our rules require us to impose the identical discipline rendered by the other jurisdiction unless one of the three listed exceptions applies. Keeping in mind that the OLR has not asserted that Attorney Addison’s conduct requires a substantially different level of discipline in this state, see SCR 22.22(3)(c), we do not find that any exception applies. Consistent with our rules, therefore, we impose a 60-day suspension of Attorney Addison’s license to practice law in Wisconsin, as discipline reciprocal to that imposed in Illinois. Moreover, as is often the case in reciprocal discipline matters, because Attorney Addison essentially agreed to the imposition of reciprocal discipline and it was not necessary to appoint a referee, we do not require him to pay the costs of this proceeding.”

2010AP3014-D OLR v. Addison

Per Curiam.

Attorneys: For Complainant: Spoke, Julie Marie, Madison; For Respondent: Stanton, Marie A., Madison; Addison, Stephan Walter, Medinah, IL