Vol. 76, No. 2, February
2003
Lawyer Discipline
The
Office of Lawyer
Regulation (formerly known as the Board of Attorneys Professional
Responsibility), an agency of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and component
of the lawyer regulation system, assists the court in carrying out its
constitutional responsibility to supervise the practice of law and
protect the public from misconduct by persons practicing law in
Wisconsin. The Office of Lawyer Regulation has offices located at Suite
315, 110 E. Main St., Madison, WI 53703, and Suite 300, 342 N. Water
St., Milwaukee, WI 53202. Toll-free telephone: (877) 315-6941.
Hearing to reinstate
Sharon A. Davison
On March 19, 2003, at 9 a.m., a public hearing will be held before
referee Curry First at the Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR), 342 N.
Water St., Suite 300, Milwaukee, on the petition of Sharon A. Davison,
Milwaukee, to reinstate her Wisconsin law license. Any interested person
may appear at the hearing and be heard in support of, or in opposition
to, the petition for reinstatement.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Davison's law license for six
months, effective April 26, 2002, for professional misconduct in
submitting false vouchers to the State Public Defender's Office
requesting reimbursement for parking expenses not actually incurred. A
more detailed account of Davison's misconduct is recited in
Disciplinary Proceedings Against Davison, 2002 WI 24, 251 Wis.
2d 1, 640 N.W.2d 508.
As to reinstatement, Davison is required to demonstrate by clear,
satisfactory, and convincing evidence that, among other things, she has
not practiced law or engaged in certain law-work activity during the
suspension; she has maintained competence and learning in the law by
attending identified educational activities; her conduct since the
suspension has been exemplary and above reproach; she has a proper
understanding of and attitude toward the standards that are imposed upon
members of the bar and will act in conformity with the standards; she
can safely be recommended to the legal profession, the courts, and the
public as a person fit to be consulted by others, and to represent them
and otherwise act in matters of trust and confidence; she has fully
described all of her business activities; she has the moral character to
practice law in Wisconsin; and she has fully complied with the terms of
the suspension order and with the requirements of SCR 22.26.
Further information can be obtained from OLR investigator Heidi Towne
Gaylord, 342 N. Water St., Suite 300, Milwaukee, WI 53202, (414)
227-4623, or from assistant litigation counsel Julie M. Falk, 110 E.
Main St., Suite 315, Madison, WI 53703, (877) 315-6941 (toll free).
Disciplinary proceeding against Boris
Ouchakof
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has accepted Boris Ouchakof's petition
for voluntary revocation of his law license and revoked his law license
effective Nov. 15, 2002. In his petition, Ouchakof, Madison,
acknowledged that he could not successfully defend against 41 counts of
misconduct that had been alleged in an OLR complaint and another 12
counts that were still under investigation by the OLR. The majority of
the counts concerned Ouchakof's representation of multiple clients in
immigration and naturalization matters in which Ouchakof failed to act
with reasonable diligence and promptness on behalf of his clients,
failed to comply with clients' requests for information, failed to take
reasonable steps to protect clients' interests upon termination, made
misrepresentations, and practiced law while his law license was
administratively suspended. In addition, while employed as an associate
with a law firm, Ouchakof engaged in fraudulent conduct by secretly
charging and collecting fees from clients without remitting those fees
to the firm.
Wisconsin Lawyer
