High court suspends Eau Claire attorney’s license

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended the license of an Eau Claire attorney for two months.

Thursday’s disciplinary action stems from a complaint the Office of Lawyer Regulation filed in October charging Brandon Buchanan of Buchanan Law Office with five acts of misconduct for actions he took while representing a couple in a bankruptcy case. According to the allegations, he failed to hold advanced fees in trust, failed to respond to the couple’s inquiries about their case and failed to turn over their file to another lawyer.

The OLR sought a two-month license suspension and an order calling on Buchanan to pay $335 worth of restitution to his clients.

Buchanan failed to respond to the complaint. In January, the court-appointed referee in the case, Allan Beatty, found Buchanan in default.. Beatty also recommended that the justices find that Buchanan had committed all five counts of misconduct and grant the OLR’s request for the two-month license suspension and restitution.

In a short per curiam decision on Thursday, the justices agreed with Beatty’s recommendations, suspending Buchanan’s license for two months and ordering him to pay the $335 worth of restitution. Follow @erikastrebel