The Wisconsin Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection Committee considered 14 claims totaling $190,009.
Inside the Bar
December 2005
Fund disburses $20K-plus for lawyer theft
The Wisconsin Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection Committee
considered 14 claims totaling $190,009 and approved reimbursements
totaling $20,932 to 10 victims of lawyer theft at its Oct. 5
meeting.
The committee approved reimbursements for clients of Margaret
Asterlin (one claim for $250), Thomas Fadner II (one claim for $3,000),
Charles Koehn (seven claims totaling $12,682), and John Sanborn (one
claim for $5,000). Two claims had been deferred from the Aug. 16
meeting, one claim was a request for reconsideration, and 11 were new
claims. The committee denied four claims, including the request for
reconsideration. The next meeting is scheduled for April 4, 2006.
"This committee's work speaks volumes for the overwhelming majority
of honest attorneys," says Committee Chair David Reddy. "Through the
committee's efforts, confidence in the legal profession that is lost at
the hands of the few dishonest attorneys can be restored."
The Wisconsin Supreme Court established the fund, formerly named the
Clients' Security Fund, in 1981 to reimburse people who lost money
through dishonest acts of Wisconsin attorneys, including unearned
retainer, theft from estate, misappropriation of funds, conversion of
trust account funds, and theft by investment. All claims for
reimbursement and all committee proceedings are subject to SCR 12.04.11.
All Wisconsin-licensed attorneys, except those classified as inactive,
subsidize the fund through an annual assessment.
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