NEW ORLEANS — Baton Rouge Attorney George Allen Roth Walsh has been publicly reprimanded following a June 21 Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board (LADB) ruling for allegedly practicing law while ineligible and not complying with state bar rules.
"The board concluded that [Walsh]'s conduct constituted a minor violation of the rules, was not intentional or the result of a dishonest or selfish motive and caused no actual harm," the LADB said in its ruling. "[Walsh] had no prior record and expressed remorse for his negligence. The board concluded no formal discipline was warranted and dismissed the charges."
The LADB ruling, signed by LADB Adjudicative Committee member Sheila E. O'Leary, followed recommendations filed by the committee in December that Walsh be suspended.
Walsh, 39, was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on April 22, 2005, according to his profile at the Louisiana State Bar Association's website.
Formal charges against Walsh, filed in March 2017, stem from a complaint to the office of disciplinary counsel by Parish of East Baton Rouge 19th Judicial District Court Judge Adam Haney, according to the LADB's ruling.
The judge said Walsh appeared June 8, 2016 for a juvenile detention hearing when he was ineligible to practice law in the state because of noncompliance with continuing legal education requirements, unpaid state and disciplinary bar dues and noncompliance with trust account requirements.
In a statement to the office of disciplinary counsel in November 2017, Walsh admitted to practicing law while ineligible.
"[Walsh] admitted that he spoke with clients, accepted new clients and likely accepted fees for legal representation," the LADB ruling said. "The complaint of Judge Haney confirms [Walsh] also made court appearances as well during the time period that he was rendered ineligible."
In December, LADB Hearing Committee No. 26 recommended that Walsh be suspended for six months, with all but 30 days deferred, and that he be placed on a year of unsupervised probation. The hearing committee made those rulings after finding Walsh failed to pay state bar dues and report trust account information and that he knowingly practiced law while he was not authorized to do so.