Attorney faces discipline for lying in deposition, practicing while license suspended

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A DePere attorney faces a 60-day suspension of his license over four counts of misconduct.

According to a complaint filed by the Office of Lawyer Regulation on Dec. 30, Ty Willihnganz committed four counts of misconduct related to his representation of a client who was a defendant in a civil lawsuit in Brown County Circuit Court.

The first three alleged counts of misconduct stem from his license being administratively suspended in June 2013 for failing to report the completion of continuing legal-education requirements. The OLR alleges Willihnganz failed to notify his client, opposing counsel and Brown County Circuit Court officials in writing that his license had been suspended.

Moreover, he appeared at scheduling conferences on behalf of his client and sent letters and documents to opposing counsel while his license was suspended, the OLR alleges.

The final count of misconduct, according to the complaint, stems from a deposition Willihnganz gave in his client’s case. In it, he is accused of lying and saying that he had not been professionally disciplined after 2004.

Willihnganz, reached Monday, said he would comment until after he had reviewed the complaint.

Willihnganz graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1995 and was licensed to practice law in Wisconsin in 1996. The Wisconsin Supreme Court publicly reprimanded him in 2004 and then privately reprimanded him in 2008. His license is in good standing, according to the State Bar website. Follow @erikastrebel