Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Steven D. Johnson

Headline: Wisconsin Supreme Court Suspends Attorney Steven D. Johnson's License for 60 Days Due to Professional Misconduct

Citation: 2025 WI 45

Court: Wisconsin Supreme Court · Filed: 2025-10-10 · Docket: 2022AP000011-D
Published
Outcome: Plaintiff Win
Impact Score: 45/100 — Low-moderate impact: This case addresses specific legal issues with limited broader application.
Legal Topics: attorney disciplineprofessional misconductclient representationneglect of legal matterscommunication with clients

Case Summary

The Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) filed a complaint against attorney Steven D. Johnson, alleging he engaged in professional misconduct. Specifically, Johnson was accused of failing to properly represent his clients, neglecting their cases, and failing to communicate with them. The Wisconsin Supreme Court reviewed the findings of a referee who had determined that Johnson committed several violations of the attorney disciplinary rules. The Court agreed with the referee's findings and concluded that Johnson's actions constituted professional misconduct. As a result, the Court suspended Johnson's law license for 60 days.

AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. May contain errors. Consult a licensed attorney for legal advice.

Key Holdings

The court established the following key holdings in this case:

  1. An attorney's failure to diligently pursue a client's case, communicate with the client, and respond to reasonable requests for information constitutes professional misconduct.
  2. Neglecting client matters and failing to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client violates attorney disciplinary rules.
  3. A 60-day suspension of an attorney's license is an appropriate sanction for multiple instances of professional misconduct involving client neglect and lack of communication.

Entities and Participants

Parties

  • Office of Lawyer Regulation (company)
  • Steven D. Johnson (party)
  • Wisconsin Supreme Court (company)

Frequently Asked Questions (4)

Comprehensive Q&A covering every aspect of this court opinion.

Basic Questions (4)

Q: What was the main issue in this case?

The case involved allegations of professional misconduct against attorney Steven D. Johnson, including neglecting client cases and failing to communicate with clients.

Q: Who brought the complaint against the attorney?

The Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) filed the complaint.

Q: What did the Wisconsin Supreme Court decide?

The Court agreed with the referee's findings that Johnson committed professional misconduct and suspended his law license for 60 days.

Q: What specific actions by the attorney were considered misconduct?

Johnson failed to diligently represent clients, neglected their cases, and did not communicate with them.

Case Details

Case NameOffice of Lawyer Regulation v. Steven D. Johnson
Citation2025 WI 45
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
Date Filed2025-10-10
Docket Number2022AP000011-D
Precedential StatusPublished
OutcomePlaintiff Win
Impact Score45 / 100
Legal Topicsattorney discipline, professional misconduct, client representation, neglect of legal matters, communication with clients
Jurisdictionwi

Related Legal Resources

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About This Analysis

This AI-generated analysis of Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Steven D. Johnson was produced by CaseLawBrief to help legal professionals, researchers, students, and the general public understand this court opinion in plain English.

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AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. May contain errors. Consult a licensed attorney for legal advice.

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