High court to decide whether to reinstate Kenosha attorney

Listen to this article

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday will decide whether to reinstate the license of a former Kenosha attorney who was convicted of money laundering in 2011.

Walter Stern III concealed $95,000 of a client’s marital settlement agreement to keep it out of consideration in her bankruptcy filing, according to court records.

A federal jury indicted Stern, and he was sentenced to 357 days in prison in January 2013.

The Office of Lawyer Regulation then filed a complaint later that month alleging that the Stern’s conviction adversely reflected his honesty, trustworthiness and fitness as a lawyer. The Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed and suspended Stern’s license in May 2013 for two years.

Stern asked the high court to reinstate his license in February 2015.

Stern had been licensed to practice law in Wisconsin since 1974. He has been disciplined several times. He was privately reprimanded in 1988, publicly reprimanded in 1992 and privately reprimanded again in 1993 and 2008. The 2008 discipline stemmed from Stern pleading no contest to a second and third drunk driving offense.