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    Wisconsin Lawyer
    June 04, 2021

    Lawyer Discipline

    The Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR), an agency of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, provides these summaries.

    The Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR), an agency of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, provides these summaries. The OLR assists the court in supervising the practice of law and protecting the public from misconduct by lawyers. The OLR has offices at 110 E. Main St., Suite 315, Madison, WI 53703; toll-free (877) 315-6941. Find the full text of these summaries at www.wicourts.gov/olr.

    Disciplinary Proceeding Against Mark M. Ditter

    On March 9, 2021, the Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended the law license of Mark M. Ditter, Kaukauna, for 90 days. Disciplinary Proc. Against Ditter, 2021 WI 21. The court ordered Ditter to pay the disciplinary proceeding cost to the Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR).

    The State Public Defenders Office (SPD) appointed Ditter to represent two criminal defendants in cases in Outagamie County Circuit Court. In both cases, Ditter hired an investigator to prepare presentence reports. The investigator completed his work and the SPD approved payment to Ditter, including $2,400 for work performed by the investigator. Ditter failed to deliver the $2,400 to the investigator, even after repeated requests for payment by both the investigator and the SPD, in violation of SCR 20:1.15(e)(1). By converting to his own purposes such funds, which he was required to hold in trust, Ditter violated SCR 20:8.4(c). Ditter also violated SCR 20:8.4(c) by misrepresenting to the OLR that he had sent the investigator a partial payment, when he had not done so. By willfully failing to cooperate with the OLR’s multiple written requests for information, Ditter violated SCR 22.03(2) and (6), which also constitutes a violation of SCR 20:8.4(h).

    Ditter’s license is also administratively suspended because of his nonpayment of State Bar of Wisconsin dues, failure to file a trust account certification, and noncompliance with continuing legal education (CLE) requirements.

    In 1994, Ditter’s law license was suspended for 60 days for engaging in the practice of law while his license had been administratively suspended for failure to comply with CLE requirements. In 1996, Ditter was privately reprimanded for failing to act with reasonable diligence and for failing to communicate with a client.

    Public Reprimand of Chad R. Taylor

    The OLR and Chad R. Taylor, Waukesha, entered into an agreement for the imposition of a public reprimand, pursuant to SCR 22.09(1). A supreme court-appointed referee approved the agreement and issued the public reprimand on April 6, 2021, in accordance with SCR 22.09(3).

    Taylor was charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court with four felony counts and four misdemeanor counts related to a single-vehicle crash. Taylor pleaded no contest to first-offense operating while intoxicated (OWI) causing injury with a minor child in the vehicle, an unclassified felony. Three counts were dismissed and read in. The remaining four counts were dismissed by operation of law.

    The court withheld sentence and placed Taylor on three years’ probation. Conditions of probation include 60 days in jail (with Huber privileges), submission to an alcohol and substance use assessment and follow through with any treatment or counseling, maintaining absolute sobriety, and submission to random urine screens. Taylor’s sentence includes driver’s license revocation for two years, ignition-interlock-device installation for two years, and attendance at a victim impact panel. He was also ordered to pay a fine and costs.

    By engaging in conduct leading to a felony conviction of first-offense OWI causing injury with a minor child in the vehicle, Taylor violated SCR 20:8.4(b).

    By failing to notify in writing the OLR and the supreme court clerk within five days after his felony conviction, Taylor violated SCR 21.15(5).

    Taylor had no prior discipline.


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