By: Derek Hawkins//February 24, 2016//
WI Supreme Court
Case Name: Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Michael J. Hicks
Case No.: 2014AP7-D
Focus: Disciplinary Proceedings
Lawyer receives two year suspension for pattern of misconduct.
” As the referee noted, there is a general pattern to Attorney Hicks’ misconduct. His practice focused primarily on representing indigent defendants in criminal cases through appointments by the Office of the State Public Defender (SPD) or by a court. While Attorney Hicks would usually send an initial letter to the client notifying him/her of the appointment and his representation, he would largely ignore the client for extended periods of time. At times, Attorney Hicks would fail to follow through on necessary actions. At some point the OLR would receive a grievance, which they would send to Attorney Hicks for a written response. Attorney Hicks would either never respond, or he would provide an initial response that the OLR deemed inadequate and he would then fail to respond to the OLR’s requests for further information.”