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Kenosha attorney faced with license revocation for latest misconduct

By: Michaela Paukner, [email protected]//January 25, 2021//

Kenosha attorney faced with license revocation for latest misconduct

By: Michaela Paukner, [email protected]//January 25, 2021//

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A Kenosha attorney may see his law license revoked for a second complaint of misconduct filed by the Office of Lawyer Regulation.

On Jan. 6, the OLR charged Terry L. Constant with 13 counts of misconduct related to his failing to pay his clients their funds, practicing with a suspended law license and violating trust-account rules.

Constant, a solo practitioner at Terry L Constant Law Office, received a six-month license suspension less than a year ago for systemic trust-account problems, conversion and the mishandling of an injury settlement.

In the OLR’s latest complaint, four of the 13 violations stem from Constant’s representation of a client in two separate personal-injury claims. The complaint said he had disbursed her funds for his own use and failed to pay her outstanding medical bills. The OLR believes she’s owed $47,557.30 and is asking for that amount in restitution.

Another couple hired Constant in 2016 to represent them in claims related to their car accident, and the remaining charges in the complaint concern his alleged misconduct in handling their case. The complaint said he disbursed additional money from insurance payments to himself, failed to obtain authorization to settle claims and misrepresented disbursements on checks.

The complaint said Constant never told the couple that he closed his law office in September 2019, and their attempts to get in touch with him went unanswered in the months that followed.

In February 2020, Constant forwarded an email to the couple about a lien from a medical provider and worked with the two to reduce the medical bill. His suspension went into effect in March, but he continued to work on a settlement negotiation for the couple during the months that followed.

The couple said they repeatedly asked Constant to pay the remainder of their funds after the proposed settlement offer, but he never did. The OLR is requesting Constant pay $5,983.57 in restitution.

Constant has until Tuesday to file an answer to the complaint.

The phone number listed for Constant’s law office has been disconnected. He did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

State Bar of Wisconsin records show that Constant’s law license remains suspended for dues, the disciplinary action and OLR certification. He was admitted to practice law in Wisconsin in 1968.

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