By: Derek Hawkins//November 21, 2017//
WI Supreme Court
Case Name: Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Steven Cohen
Case No.: 2017 WI 96
Focus: Attorney Disciplinary Proceedings
Attorney Steven Cohen has appealed a report filed by Referee James C. Boll, Jr. concluding that Attorney Cohen committed four counts of professional misconduct and recommending that Attorney Cohen’s license to practice law in Wisconsin be suspended for four months. Attorney Cohen entered into a stipulation whereby he agreed that the facts alleged in the amended complaint filed by the Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) could be used to form a basis for his admissions to the first three counts of misconduct alleged in the amended complaint. In his appeal, Attorney Cohen argues that the evidence was insufficient to support the referee’s finding of misconduct with respect to count four of the amended complaint. He also argues that mitigating circumstances support a lesser sanction than the four-month suspension recommended by the referee.
Upon careful review of this matter, we uphold all of the referee’s findings of fact and conclusions of law and conclude that a four-month suspension of Attorney Cohen’s license to practice law is an appropriate sanction for his misconduct. As is our usual custom, we also find that Attorney Cohen should be required to pay the full costs of this proceeding, which are $8,608.20 as of July 10, 2017.
Affirmed
Concur:
Dissent: