By: Derek Hawkins//June 19, 2019//
WI Supreme Court
Case Name: Office of Lawyer Regulation v. James Edward Hammis
Case No.: 2019 WI 55
Focus: Attorney Disciplinary Hearing
Attorney James Edward Hammis has appealed a report filed by Referee Lisa C. Goldman accepting concessions Attorney Hammis made in a stipulation with the Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) that he committed 40 counts of professional misconduct and recommending that his license to practice to law in Wisconsin be revoked. In his appeal, Attorney Hammis primarily challenges the sanction recommendation and asserts that an appropriate sanction would be a suspension of his license to practice law in the range of one year.
Upon careful review of this matter, we uphold all of the referee’s findings of fact and conclusions of law. We conclude, however, that the facts of this case do not warrant revocation. Instead, we conclude that a three-year suspension of Attorney Hammis’ law license is an appropriate sanction for the misconduct at issue. We also deem it appropriate to impose certain conditions upon the reinstatement of his law license. We also order him to pay $400 in restitution to one former client and, as is our usual custom, we impose the full costs of this proceeding, which are $13,160.22 as of March 4, 2019 on Attorney Hammis.
Attorney license suspended
Concur:
Dissent: ZIEGLER, J. dissents, joined by R.G. BRADLEY, J. (opinion filed).