High court disciplines Arizona attorney

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court has disciplined an Arizona attorney for misconduct in his home state.

Tuesday’s discipline stems from the Office of Lawyer Regulation’s filing, on Feb. 15,  a request that the justices impose reciprocal discipline on Edward Matchett for disciplinary action taken by Arizona’s lawyer-regulation committee, as well as for his failure to report that discipline to the OLR.

The Attorney Discipline Probable Cause Committee of the Supreme Court of Arizona put Matchett on one year of probation on Dec. 14, 2014. According to the committee, he failed to file a notice of appearance, failed to check court files for the status of a client’s case and failed to be asked to be copied on certain documents, as well as caused an unnecessary motion and appeal by failing to find and cite a dispositive case to a court.

Matchett reached a stipulation with the OLR in March, agreeing to reciprocal discipline and agreeing that the OLR’s allegations in the March complaint were true.

The justices publicly reprimanded Matchett on Tuesday. Because he did not contest the OLR’s complaint, the court did not impose costs.

Tuesday’s action is not the first time the court has imposed discipline on Matchett. The court privately reprimanded him in 2007 for lack of diligence and communication in a criminal case.

Matchett was graduated in 1984 from Hamline University Law School in Minneapolis. He has been licensed to practice law in Wisconsin since 1989. Matchett’s most recent address is in Douglas, Ariz. Follow @erikastrebel