NEW ORLEANS (Louisiana Record) – A request by Hammond attorney Leonard E. Yokum Jr., who was admitted to the Louisiana Bar more than 50 years ago and who was suspended for almost a decade, to be readmitted has been denied, a notice posted on the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board (LADB) website said.
The Louisiana Supreme Court unanimously denied Yokum's petition for reinstatement, according to the single-page Jan. 14 notice posted to the LADB website by the clerk of court.
The Supreme Court also ruled that Yokum will have to wait an additional two years from the date of its judgment to again reapply for reinstatement, the notice said.
The high court's decision follows an LADB recommendation in November that the court deny Hammond conditional reinstatement to practice law in the state. The LADB's recommendation was over a board hearing committee's findings the previous July that Yokum met reinstatement requirements and should be reinstated.
Yokum has failed to make restitution and to show that he has fully complied with the terms and conditions of all prior discipline orders against him, according to the LADB's recommendation.
"He has also failed to show that he recognizes the wrongfulness and seriousness of the misconduct for which he was," the LADB recommendation said. "Moreover, Mr. Yokum has failed to show that, despite his failure to meet the criteria of Section 24(E)(1) and (E)(4), he has good and sufficient reason why he should nevertheless be reinstated."
The office of disciplinary counsel also opposed Yokum's petition for reinstatement.
Yokum was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on April 26, 1966, according to his profile at the Louisiana State Bar Association's website.
Yokum was suspended for three years following a March 2012 state Supreme Court attorney disciplinary proceeding that was made retroactive to the date of his interim suspension handed down in February 2009. He also was ordered to pay restitution to two clients and refund unearned fees to two others.
His prior history of legal practice in Louisiana had been discipline free.
Since his suspension, Yokum has repeatedly petitioned for reinstatement. His most recent petition was filed in December 2017.