Public Discipline

These summaries are based on information provided by the Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR), an agency of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The OLR assists the court in supervising the practice of law and protecting the public from misconduct by lawyers. The full text of matters summarized can be located at https://compendium.wicourts.gov/app/search.

Public Reprimand of Kerri T. Cleghorn

The Office of Lawyer Regulation and Kerri T. Cleghorn entered into an agreement for the imposition of a public reprimand, pursuant to SCR 22.09(1). A Wisconsin Supreme Court-appointed referee approved the agreement and issued the public reprimand on June 30, 2026, pursuant to SCR 22.09(3).

Cleghorn’s reprimand is based on her misconduct in three client matters in which she was the assigned counsel.

In the first matter, Cleghorn represented a client facing two felony charges. Cleghorn violated SCR 20:1.4(a)(3) by failing to respond to the client’s calls for approximately six weeks; failing to contact the client after telling the court at the pretrial that she would do so; and failing to inform the client that, despite the fact that it was likely to be rescheduled, the client needed to appear for the scheduled trial, leading to a warrant being issued for the client.

In the second matter, Cleghorn represented a client in two cases in which the client was facing felony charges. At all times, the client was in custody. Cleghorn violated SCR 20:1.4(a)(4) by failing to communicate with the client over a five-month period during which she was acting on the client’s cases, including not visiting the client in jail and again failing to communicate with the client after the client’s trial was rescheduled.

In the third matter, Cleghorn represented a client facing several felony charges. Cleghorn violated SCR 20:1.4(a)(4) by failing to provide the client with discovery. She violated SCR 20:1.1 by failing to raise the victim’s blood alcohol concentration as a defense. She violated SCR 20:1.16(d) by failing to promptly provide the client’s file to successor counsel.

Cleghorn also received a public reprimand in 2021.