High court revokes Colorado attorney’s Wisconsin license

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court has revoked a Colorado attorney’s license over conduct that got him disbarred in his home state.

Last week’s discipline stems from an Office of Lawyer Regulation complaint filed last year charging solo practitioner Philip Kleinsmith with failing to notify the agency that he had been disbarred in Colorado in 2016 and contending that Kleinsmith’s Wisconsin license should be revoked.

Kleinsmith had been admitted to practice law in Colorado since 1967 but a hearing board in December 2016 disbarred him for converting money that had belonged to a title company. The Colorado Supreme Court affirmed the decision in October. The disbarment stems from Kleinsmith’s work representing U.S. Bank in 74 foreclosure cases in Idaho and Montana from 2012 to 2014.

Kleinsmith and the OLR filed a stipulation on Feb. 22 in which Kleinsmith agreed to the revocation and agreed not to contest the facts and allegations in the complaint. Both parties asked the court to weigh in without appointing a referee in the case.

The justices last week accepted the stipulation in a per curiam decision. Revocation bans Kleinsmith from practicing in Wisconsin, although he would be able to petition the court to reinstate his license after five years. The court did not order Kleinsmith to pay any costs for the disciplinary proceeding, as the court did not appoint a referee to preside over the case. Follow @erikastrebel