Former Doyle chief legal counsel faced with 2nd license suspension

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An attorney who used to work as Gov. Jim Doyle’s chief legal counsel and deputy chief of staff is faced with a second suspension of his law license. The Office of Lawyer Regulation filed a complaint against Stanley Davis of The Davis Group, alleging he had taken clients’ money without doing the work he had promised.

Davis is already the subject of a disciplinary proceeding alleging 20 counts of misconduct, which could result in a 90-day license suspension.

The latest complaint, filed in late December, listed details of Davis’ alleged misconduct while working with clients in 2017 and 2018. In one case, Davis stands accused of taking $3,500 in advanced fees to pursue a public-records request and a civil claim against the state of Wisconsin. Davis, according to the OLR, never sent the client the information obtained by the records request and didn’t file the civil claim within the appropriate amount of time.

In August 2017, the National Association to Stop Guardian Abuse hired Davis to represent the organization in an ongoing dispute with another advocacy group, Kasem Cares. Davis received $15,000 in advanced fees and agreed to send Kasem Cares a cease-and-desist letter, pursue legal action if the group didn’t comply and pursue civil actions against it. The complaint said Davis never took action and stopped responding to NASGA and its requests to refund the legal fees.

While he was working for the two clients, Davis’ law license was suspended for not paying bar dues, not complying with CLE requirements and not cooperating with an OLR investigation. The OLR said Davis never informed the clients of the suspension and continued to represent them.

The OLR is asking the state Supreme Court to suspend Davis’ license for six months and pay $15,000 in restitution for the 11 misconduct violations.

Davis earned his law degree from George Washington University Law School and was admitted to practice law in Wisconsin in 1998. The OLR said he lists a Wisconsin address but actually lives in Orlando. He has not responded to OLR communications.

Davis did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Follow @WLJReporter