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Wis. justices revoke license of attorney disbarred in Colo.

By: Eric Heisig//June 19, 2014//

Wis. justices revoke license of attorney disbarred in Colo.

By: Eric Heisig//June 19, 2014//

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday accepted the consensual revocation of an attorney who was disbarred from practicing in Colorado.

Daynel Hooker was the subject of seven Office of Lawyer Regulation investigations – as well as reciprocal discipline for her Colorado disbarment – stemming from misconduct there. She was never licensed to practice law in Colorado, yet did immigration, bankruptcy, and intellectual property law work there, according to the court’s opinion. Since those claims are handled in federal court, however, she did not need to be licensed in that state.

The 35 Wisconsin allegations against her stemmed from her practice in the Colorado state courts system, even though she was not licensed to do so. She also failed to file proper documents for several cases, according to an unfiled OLR complaint, and abandoned a client she was representing for immigration issues.

In a January filing, Hooker contended she could not defend against the allegations against her. The court, in a per curiam decision, revoked her license Thursday and ordered her to pay $12,430 in restitution to five former clients.

“It is clear from the descriptions of the various representations that Attorney Hooker has engaged in a widespread pattern of serious professional misconduct that has harmed her clients,” according to the court. “It is also clear that Attorney Hooker is currently unwilling or unable to conform her conduct to the standards that are required to practice law in this state.”

Hooker could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2001, and the Wisconsin State Bar’s website lists her address in Missouri City, Texas.

Wisconsin justices also suspended Hooker for six months in 2009 for reciprocal discipline for failing to promptly return unearned advance fees, not keeping client money in a trust fund, using client money for personal reasons and misleading a colleague about the unearned fees, all in Colorado. She was suspended in 2012 for failing to file an amended plan in a bankruptcy case, not appearing at a confirmation hearing for the amended plan and practicing in Colorado without license.

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