NEW ORLEANS (Louisiana Record) – George Martin Gates IV, a Greenbelt, Maryland, attorney, recently received a fully deferred suspension following an Oct. 29 Louisiana Supreme Court attorney disciplinary proceeding over multiple allegations of misconduct.
The state Supreme Court's decision followed a Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board (LADB) recommendation earlier this year, according to the court's 12-page proceeding. "Considering the circumstances of this matter, we will adopt the disciplinary board’s recommendation and suspend respondent from the practice of law for six months, fully deferred, subject to a one-year period of unsupervised probation governed by the conditions set forth in the board's report," the attorney disciplinary proceeding said.
Gates was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on Oct. 15, 1999, according to his profile at the Louisiana State Bar Association's website.
The office of disciplinary counsel filed two sets of formal charges against Gates. In February, the state Supreme Court ordered the allegations against Gates to be consolidated.
In June, the LADB split over its recommendation that Gates receive a fully deferred six-month suspension after finding he violated professional conduct rules regarding diligence, fees and cooperation with an office of disciplinary counsel investigation. The LADB also recommended Gates' suspension be subject to probation, and that he be required to attend the state bar's ethics school and pay restitution and all costs and expenses of the matter.
"His conduct was negligent in some instances and knowing in others and caused actual and potential harm," the most recent attorney disciplinary proceeding said. "The baseline sanction for the misconduct is suspension. The record supports the following aggravating factors: a prior disciplinary record and substantial experience in the practice of law."
In his brief filed with the state bar, Gates reported that he no longer practices in Louisiana, that he has relocated to Maryland and is seeking admission to the bar in that state.