Attorney Disciplinary Hearing

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WI Supreme Court

Case Name: Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Peter Kovac

Case No.: 2020 WI 58

Focus: Attorney Disciplinary Hearing

We review Referee Kim M. Peterson’s recommendation that Attorney Peter J. Kovac’s license to practice law in Wisconsin be suspended for six months for four counts of professional misconduct. The referee also recommended that Attorney Kovac pay the full costs of this proceeding, which are $4,403.92 as of December 10, 2019.

Upon careful review of the matter, we conclude that the referee’s findings of fact are supported by clear, satisfactory, and convincing evidence. We agree with the referee’s conclusions of law that Attorney Kovac engaged in professional misconduct. We conclude, however, that the appropriate sanction for Attorney Kovac’s misconduct is a five-month suspension of his license to practice law in Wisconsin. As the misconduct at issue in this case occurred during approximately the same time period as misconduct that recently resulted in a five-month license suspension, we find it appropriate to make the five-month suspension imposed in this case concurrent with the five-month suspension in the previous case. We also agree with the referee that Attorney Kovac should bear the full costs of this proceeding. The Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) did not request restitution, and we impose none.

Attorney’s license suspended

Concur:

Dissent:

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Derek A Hawkins is trademark corporate counsel for Harley-Davidson. Hawkins oversees the prosecution and maintenance of the Harley-Davidson’s international trademark portfolio in emerging markets.