Former National Senior Olympics medalist and Opelousas attorney Sherman Stanford, after nearly 43 years of practice, has resigned following a Louisiana Supreme Court order June 28 in lieu of possible discipline over allegations he paid people to bring him personal injury clients.
The state high court accepted Stanford's request that he be allowed to permanently resign, according the court's order. The court also ordered Stanford be permanently prohibited from practicing law in Louisiana "or in any other jurisdiction in which he is admitted to the practice of law", according to the court's one-page order. Stanford is permanently prohibited from seeking readmission to practice law in Louisiana or any other jurisdiction, according to the order.
Stanford was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on Oct. 24, 1975, according to his profile at the Louisiana State Bar's website.
Stanford filed his petition for permanent resignation from the practice of law following an office of disciplinary counsel investigation that turned up allegations that he paid fees to individuals to clients in personal injury matters, according to the order. Stanford allegedly charged 10 percent interest on all expense and/or loan advances to clients and paid new clients compensation for their representation through his office, according to the order.
Stanford also was alleged to have, without authorization, supplied endorsements of third party medical providers on settlement checks and then taking unauthorized reductions in the provider’s charges, according to the order.
The office of disciplinary counsel concurred in Stanford's petition.
Stanford competed in the 2007 National Senior Olympics Games in Louisville, Kentucky, receiving a silver medal after he placed second in the 60-to-64-year-old division of the Games' 10 kilometer road race July 2 that year, according to records at the National Senior Games Association’s website.
Stanford had overcome a diagnosis in middle age of tachycardia, a type of arrhythmia, to keep running, according to a report about his Senior Olympic participation in the July 29, 2007, edition of the Daily World in Opelousas. He later ran a series of races sponsored by Running Journal, winning in the 50 and older category when he was 59, and received more than 100 medals and more than 50 trophies by time he competed in the Senior Olympics, according to the Daily World report.