Milwaukee attorney faced with private reprimand

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A Milwaukee attorney faces a private reprimand over two counts of alleged misconduct.

According to a complaint filed on Jan. 17 by the Office of Lawyer Regulation, Edward Purcell practiced law while his license was suspended and lied on the paperwork he had filed in order to get reinstated.

The OLR alleges that Purcell’s license was suspended on June 2, 2014, for failing to report completing continuing-legal-education requirements. His license was reinstated on July 28, 2014, according to the complaint. But between the time he was suspended and reinstated, he appeared in Milwaukee County Circuit Court twice on behalf of clients, filed and signed an order for a client in New Berlin Municipal Court and got hired by a client

The OLR also alleges that when Purcell filed a petition for reinstatement with the state’s Board of Bar Examiners, he failed to list every instance in which he had practiced law while being banned from practicing.

The OLR is asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to privately reprimand Purcell, meaning he would not be banned from practicing but that the decision that the high court makes in his case will not be made public. The OLR, however, must publish a summary that strips out information identifying Purcell.

Purcell, who earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2007, could not immediately be reached at the email address listed on the Wisconsin State Bar website.

Purcell’s license was suspended in 2015 for failing to pay mandatory bar dues and again in 2016 for failing to report that he had completed continuing-legal-education requirements.

His license remains suspended. According to the OLR, the high court has never publicly disciplined him. Follow @erikastrebel