In Re: Committee On Bar Admissions Cfn-1482

Supreme Court of Louisiana
June 01, 2022
Chief Deputy Clerk of Court
For the Court
The Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana
IN RE: COMMITTEE ON BAR ADMISSIONS
CFN-1482 No. 2021-BA-01415
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I
N RE: Confidential Party - Applicant Other; Petition for the admission to the
Louisiana Bar;
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June 01, 2022
Conditional admission granted. See per curiam.
Weimer, C.J., concurs in part and dissents in part and assigns reasons.
Hughes, J., would admit without conditions.
Genovese, J., concurs with admission, but dissents from the requisite adjunct
conditions.
Griffin, J., concurs with admission without conditions.
JBM
JLW
SJC
WJC
06/01/2022 "See News Release 025 for any Concurrences and/or Dissents."

06/01/2022
SUPREME COURT OF LOUISIANA

NO. 2021-BA-1415

IN RE: COMMITTEE ON BAR ADMISSIONS CFN-1482

BAR ADMISSIONS PROCEEDING

PER CURIAM

Petitioner applied to take the Louisiana Bar Examination. The Committee on
Bar Admissions (“Committee”) advised petitioner that it could not certify him to
take the bar exam on character and fitness grounds. Petitioner then applied to this
court for permission to take the bar exam. We granted the application, with the
condition that upon petitioner’s successful completion of the exam, he apply for the
appointment of a commissioner to take character and fitness evidence.
Upon passing the bar exam, and on petitioner’s application to this court, we
remanded this matter to the Committee on Bar Admissions Panel on Character and
Fitness to conduct an investigation and appointed a commissioner to take character
and fitness evidence. During the hearing before the commissioner, evidence was
introduced pertaining to petitioner’s record of criminal offenses, his failure to
disclose these offenses when he applied to law school, his academic discipline, and
his denial of admission to the Mississippi Bar in 2013 on character and fitness
grounds. Following the proceedings, the commissioner filed his report with this
court, recommending that petitioner ’s application for admission to the practice of
law be denied. In response, petitioner filed a motion to withdraw his application for
admission. We granted the motion in February 2019 and ordered that petitioner
would not be permitted to reapply for admission for a period of two years, and in no
event prior to his successful completion of a two-year diagnostic monitoring
agreement with the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program (“JLAP”).

2

Petitioner successfully comp leted his JLAP agreement on July 28, 2020.
Thereafter, he reapplied for admission to the practice of law in Mississippi.
Following a character and fitness review, petitioner was admitted to the practice of
law in Mississippi in April 2021.
In September 2021, petitioner reapplied for admission to the practice of law
in Louisiana. We remanded the matter to the Committee on Bar Admissions Panel
on Character and Fitness to conduct an investigation and appointed a commissioner
to take character and fitness evidence. Following a hearing, the commissioner filed
his report with this court, recommending that petitioner be admitted to the practice
of law. Neither party objected to this recommendation.
Considering the commissioner’s recommendation and the entire record of this
proceeding, we conclude petitioner is eligible to be admitted to the practice of law
in Louisiana, subject to the following conditions:
1) The term of this conditional admission shall be f or two years from the date of
admission. However, petit ioner’s conditional admission status shall not be
terminated until this court so orders.
2) Within thirty days of petitioner’s admission, he shall enter into a formal plan with
the Office of Disciplinary Counsel (“ODC”) incorporating the following
conditions:
i) During the period of this conditional admission, petitioner shall attend and
successfully complete the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Ethics School
program.
ii) Petitioner shall cooperate with the ODC, and shall comply with any and
all requirements imposed upon him by the ODC.
3) Within thirty days prior to the expiration of the conditional admission, the ODC
shall file a report in this court in which it shall recommend to the court that the
conditional admission be allowed to terminate or be extended.

3

Should petitioner fail to make a good faith effort to satisfy these conditions,
or should he commit any misconduct during the period of probation, his conditional
right to practice may be terminated or he may be subjected to other discipline
pursuant to the Rules for Lawyer Disciplinary Enforcement.

CONDITIONAL ADMISSION GRANTED.