NEW ORLEANS — Leesville attorney Bradley O’Neal Hicks, currently ineligible to practice law in Louisiana, faces possible suspension following a July 13 Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board (LADB) recommendation to the state Supreme Court over multiple charges by the office of disciplinary counsel.
The LADB recommended Hicks be suspended for two years and be ordered to pay restitution and costs in the matter, in addition to being required to return a former client's file to the client, according to the LADB's 16-page recommendation. The board noted aggravating factors in the case that included refusal to acknowledge the wrongful nature of Hick's alleged conduct, a private reprimand in 1991, admonition in 1995, dishonest or selfish motive, pattern of misconduct, multiple offenses, bad faith obstruction, vulnerability of the alleged victims, and indifference to making restitution.
"The Board found no mitigating factors," the LADB recommendation said.
The LADB's recommendation follows a hearing committee's legal conclusions and its own recommendations filed in December.
Hicks had been formally charged by the office of disciplinary counsel with failing to exercise due diligence, communicate, comply with a reasonable request for information, return an unearned fee and cooperate with the office of disciplinary counsel, according to the LADB's recommendation. Hicks also was charged with improper withdrawal and conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.
Hicks was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on Oct. 6, 1995, according to his profile at the Louisiana State Bar Association's website. Hicks has been ineligible to practice law in Louisiana since June 2016 over noncompliance with continuing legal education requirements, unpaid disciplinary and bar dues, and noncompliance with trust account registration requirements, according to his state bar profile and the LADB's recommendation.
In December, a LADB hearing committee recommended Hicks be suspended for two years after finding he failed to communicate with clients and neglected client matters. The committee also recommended Hicks be ordered to pay $3,400 in restitution to his former clients.