NEW ORLEANS (Louisiana Record) — Covington attorney Christa Hayes Forrester received a fully deferred suspension following a March 23 Louisiana Supreme Court attorney disciplinary proceeding regarding allegations arising from a client matter.
Forrester received a six-month suspension, deferred in its entirety, subject to her successful completion of a year of unsupervised probation governed by the conditions in the petition for consent discipline filed with the court, according to the high court's single-page attorney disciplinary proceeding.
Forrester also was ordered to pay all costs and expenses in the matter, with legal interest commencing 30 days from the final date of the court's judgment until all is paid, according to the proceeding.
The state Supreme Court's action against Forrester followed a joint petition for consent discipline filed with the court by Forrester and the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, according to the disciplinary proceeding. In that joint petition for consent discipline, Forrester acknowledged she had neglected a legal matter and failed to communicate with her client, according to the proceeding.
After reviewing the joint petition for consent discipline, the state Supreme Court accepted the petition and handed down the fully deferred suspension, according to the disciplinary proceeding. The probationary period will begin from the date that Forrester and the office of disciplinary counsel execute a formal probation plan, the disciplinary proceeding said.
"Any failure of [Forrester] to comply with the conditions of probation, or any misconduct during the probationary period, may be grounds for making the deferred suspension executory, or imposing additional discipline, as appropriate," the attorney disciplinary proceeding said.
Forrester was admitted to the Louisiana bar Oct. 29, 2010, and maintains a law office in Covington, according to her profile at the Louisiana State Bar Association's website.