New Orleans attorney and disgraced Plaquemines Parish Judge William A. Roe has been has been readmitted to the practice of law following a Dec. 15 Louisiana Supreme Court decision to accept his application for readmission after his 2012 disbarment.
"After considering the record in its entirety, we find [Roe] has met his burden of proving that he is entitled to be readmitted to the practice of law," said the high court's three-page decision. "[Roe] has demonstrated he recognizes the wrongfulness and seriousness of the misconduct for which he was disbarred. [Roe] has also shown that he possesses the requisite competence, honesty, and integrity to be readmitted to the practice of law."
The high court also ordered Roe, 63, to pay costs in the matter. Roe was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on Oct. 17, 1980, according to his profile at the Louisiana State Bar's website.
Roe had been a judge about 18 years on the 25th Judicial District Court in Plaquemines Parish when he announced his decision not to seek run for another term in 2008 after a legislative audit turned up alleged irregularities on earlier expense reports. Roe was suspended in October 2009 and disbarred by consent in March 2012 following allegations that he "double-dipped" expense reimbursements during the 2005, 2006, and 2007 Summer School for Judges in Sandestin, Florida, according to the state supreme court's most recent decision.
In September 2009, Roe was convicted of three misdemeanor counts of unauthorized use of movables and the following January was sentenced to six months, with half of that sentence suspended, followed by 18 months of active probation. Roe also was fined $1,500 and ordered to perform 240 hours of community service, according to the court's most recent decision.
This past July, a Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board hearing committee, following a hearing in May, opposed Roe's readmission to practice law in the state. "After weighing all of the evidence, including testimony and exhibits, the committee finds that William A. Roe has not met his burden by clear and convincing evidence that he should be readmitted to practice law," the hearing committee's recommendation said.
Last month the disciplinary board concluded Roe had met all the required criteria "by clear and convincing evidence" and recommended his readmission.