Attorney Disciplinary Proceedings

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WI Supreme Court

Case Name: Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Thad W. Jelinske

Case No.: 2018 WI 94

Focus: Attorney Disciplinary Proceedings

We review the report and recommendation of Referee Jonathan V. Goodman, which approves a stipulation between Attorney Thad W. Jelinske and the Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) by which Attorney Jelinske pled no contest to 15 of the 23 allegations of misconduct in the OLR’s complaint. Consistent with the parties’ stipulation, the referee recommended that this court suspend Attorney Jelinske’s Wisconsin law license for 18 months, retroactive to October 16, 2017. The referee further recommended that Attorney Jelinske be assessed the full costs of the proceeding, which are $13,032.92 as of August 13, 2018. The OLR does not seek the payment of restitution.

Because no appeal has been filed, we review this matter pursuant to SCR 22.17(2). We agree with the parties’ stipulation and the referee’s determination that the allegations of the disciplinary complaint and the information contained within the over two-dozen exhibits to the parties’ stipulation provide an adequate factual basis for Attorney Jelinske’s no contest pleas. We also agree with the referee’s determination that Attorney Jelinske engaged in numerous forms of professional misconduct, and that the seriousness of this misconduct warrants an 18-month suspension of his law license. We part ways with the referee in holding that, under the circumstances present here, the suspension of Attorney Jelinske’s law license should not be backdated to October 16, 2017, but rather should be made effective as of the date of this decision. We impose full costs. No restitution was sought and none is ordered.

Affirmed

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Attorney Derek A. Hawkins is the managing partner at Hawkins Law Offices LLC, where he heads up the firm’s startup law practice. He specializes in business formation, corporate governance, intellectual property protection, private equity and venture capital funding and mergers & acquisitions. Check out the website at www.hawkins-lawoffices.com or contact them at 262-737-8825.