BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Lawyers are raising questions about whether there are two sets of rules tied to the way discipline is handed out by the Louisiana Office of Disciplinary Counsel (ODC), which oversees the conduct of lawyers across the state.
Last month, two prominent Baton Rouge attorneys were both sanctioned after the Office of Disciplinary Counsel found they violated their rules of professional conduct. Attorney Niles Haymer was suspended from practicing law for three years after the ODC found him in violation of at least three administrative matters. Records show Haymer agreed to the suspension.
Attorney Chuck Ward received an 18-month suspension, which was deferred, meaning he will not have to serve it if he stays out of trouble, after he was caught allegedly trying to buy thousands of dollars of drugs in a federal sting operation that ultimately yielded indictments of five individuals.
“It definitely is a concern,” said Attorney Ryan Thompson. “I know there are always talks in the disparities in the legal system as it relates to class and race, and it does on its face give pause that if someone is of a certain race or class, that they would receive a certain kind of privilege.”…