Summary

license suspension on criminal conviction. (1) Summary suspension. Upon receiving satisfactory proof that an attorney has been found guilty or convicted of a serious crime, the supreme court may summarily suspend the attorney's license to practice law pending final disposition of a disciplinary proceeding, whether the finding of guilt or the conviction resulted from a plea of guilty or no contest or from a verdict after trial and regardless of the pendency of an appeal. 176 (2) Serious crime, definition. In this rule, "serious crime" means a felony or any lesser crime which, in the opinion of the court, reflects adversely on the attorney's fitness to be licensed to practice law. (3) Reinstatement on reversal. The license of an attorney that has been summarily suspended under sub. (1) shall be reinstated forthwith upon the reversal of the conviction. The reinstatement shall not terminate any disciplinary proceeding then pending against the attorney. (4) Filing certificate of finding of guilt, conviction. The clerk of a court within the state in which an attorney is found guilty or convicted of any crime shall send a certificate of the finding of guilt or of the conviction to the clerk of the supreme court within five days after the finding or conviction, whichever first occurs. (5) Proof of guilt. In a proceeding based on an attorney's having been found guilty or convicted of a crime, a certified copy of the record in the proceeding or the certificate of conviction shall be conclusive evidence of the attorney's guilt of the crime of which found guilty or convicted. (6) Filing of complaint. The director, or special investigator acting under SCR 22.25, shall file the complaint in the disciplinary proceeding within 2 months of the effective date of the summary suspension or shall show cause why the summary suspension should continue. The respondent attorney may file a response with the supreme court within 10 days of service. Reinstatement under this section does not terminate any misconduct investigation or disciplinary proceeding pending against the attorney. (7) Filing of referee report. The referee appointed to conduct a hearing on the complaint shall conduct the hearing promptly and file the report required by SCR 22.16 no later than 3 months after the filing of the complaint. In the event the report is not filed within 3 months of the filing of the complaint, the respondent attorney may move the supreme court for reinstatement pending completion of the disciplinary proceeding. Reinstatement under this section does not terminate any misconduct investigation or disciplinary proceeding pending against the attorney.