NEW ORLEANS (Louisiana Record) — Houston attorney Jose W. Vega, practicing in Louisiana since 1993, faces permanent disbarment following a Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board (LADB) recommendation to the state Supreme Court over allegations involving a former client.
Vega allegedly violated professional conduct rules when he failed to communicate with his client and to diligently represent her, according to the 14-page recommendation port filed by the LADB Feb. 8. Vega also allegedly failed to cooperate with the office of disciplinary counsel and to respond to charges against him.
'While [Vega's] misconduct may not definitively fit any of the specific permanent disbarment guidelines, his consistent pattern of misconduct, including his continuing failure to address the obligations he owes as a professional, demonstrates a clear lack of moral fitness," the LADB's recommendation said. "We can conceive of no circumstances under which [Vega] should be allowed to be readmitted to the practice of law."
The LADB's recommendation follows a hearing committee's legal conclusions and its own recommendations filed in August 2017. "Considering the foregoing, the board adopts the committee's factual findings and legal conclusions, but disagrees with the committee's recommended sanction of suspension for one year and one day," the LADB said in its 14-page recommendation.
No additional updates in the matter, including a decision by the Louisiana Supreme Court, have been posted to the LADB website. Vega was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on Sept. 10, 1993, according to his profile at the Louisiana State Bar Association's website. He was admitted to the bar in Texas on May 9, 2002, according to his profile on the Texas State Bar Association's Website.
The LADB's recommendation is not the first time the Louisiana Supreme Court has considered disciplining Vega. In September 2016, Vega was reciprocally disbarred following a Louisiana high court order after he resigned from the Texas State Bar Association. Vega already had been ineligible to practice law in Louisiana because he failed to pay his state bar dues, to meet mandatory continuing legal education requirements and to file a trust account disclosure statement.
In September 2013, the Louisiana Supreme Court imposed a reciprocal discipline and publicly reprimanded Vega after he received the same discipline following two separate proceedings in Texas over allegations he failed to diligently work cases and to communicate with clients.