Attorney Disciplinary Hearing.

Byline: Derek Hawkins

WI Supreme Court

Case Name: Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Beth M. Bant

Case No.: 2019 WI 107

Focus: Attorney Disciplinary Hearing

Attorney Beth M. Bant appeals the report of Robert E. Kinney, referee, recommending that this court suspend her Wisconsin law license for six months, impose the full costs of this proceeding, and order her to undergo a psychological evaluation for consideration at any future reinstatement proceeding. The referee determined that Attorney Bant committed the two counts of misconduct that the Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) complaint alleged and to which she eventually stipulated: engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, in violation of Supreme Court Rule (SCR) 20:8.4(c), and violating a standard of conduct set forth in one of this court's decisions, in violation of SCR 20:8.4(f).

After fully reviewing this matter, we reject all but one of Attorney Bant's arguments on appeal. We accept the referee's findings of fact (with one minor exception, noted below), and we agree that those facts establish that Attorney Bant committed the two misconduct counts brought by the OLR. We...