NEW ORLEANS—Baton Rouge attorney Kevin Douglas McCleary has been voluntarily disbarred following a Feb. 2 Louisiana Supreme Court order over allegations he converted client and third-party funds.
McCleary's disbarment was retroactive to May 28, 2015, which was the date the state Supreme Court placed McCleary on interim suspension, according to the high court's single-page disciplinary proceeding. McCleary also was ordered to pay all costs and expenses in the matter.
The high court's action followed an office of disciplinary counsel investigation into allegations that McCleary "converted client and third-party funds," the disciplinary proceeding said. McCleary and the office of disciplinary counsel submitted a joint petition for consent discipline seeking McCleary's disbarment, according to the disciplinary proceeding.
The state Supreme Court accepted the joint petition and handed down the disbarment, striking McCleary's name from the roll of attorneys in Louisiana and revoking his license to practice law in the state, according to the disciplinary proceeding.
McCleary was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on Oct. 10, 1997, according to his profile at the Louisiana State Bar Association's website.
McCleary was suspended on an interim basis pending further court order following a May 2015 state Supreme Court order. The high court's action came after a petition for interim suspension filed by the office of disciplinary counsel and included a statement by McCleary agreeing to the entry of an order of interim suspension. That order had been effective immediately.
The following month, McCleary was listed as ineligible for noncompliance with continuing legal education requirements, according to his state bar profile.
Also in June 2015, McCleary was suspended from practicing law in the U.S. District Court for Louisiana's Middle District unless he showed good cause within 30 why he should not be suspended. The Middle District's order, signed by Chief Judge Brian A. Jackson in October 2015, followed a June 8, 2015 letter from the Louisiana Supreme Court concerning attorney disciplinary proceedings against McCleary.