NEW ORLEANS (Louisiana Record) — Baton Rouge attorney Anna M. Jackson faces possible suspension following a recommendation issued April 26 by a Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board (LADB) hearing committee over her mishandling of her uncle's racial discrimination case.
Allegations against Jackson stem from one count filed against her by the office of disciplinary counsel, according to the eight-page recommendation issued by LADB hearing committee No. 62. Jackson is alleged to have violated professional conduct rules, including those regarding diligence, communication and fees.
The committee recommended Jackson be suspended for a year and a day and that she be ordered to pay all costs and expenses in the matter.
The recommendation was signed April 25 by committee chair Mark J. Mansfield and was issued the following day. Attorney member Kenneth P. Mathews and public member Verlean W. Randolph concurred in the recommendation.
Jackson did not file an answer to the office of disciplinary counsel's formal charges and she did not request to be heard in mitigation. In October 2018 the factual allegations against her were deemed admitted, according to the recommendation.
Jackson was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on Oct. 10, 1997, according to his profile at the Louisiana State Bar Association’s website. No prior discipline before the state bar is listed in Jackson's profile and a search of the LADB's online database of disciplinary decisions and rulings also turned up no prior record of discipline
Allegations against Jackson stem from her agreement with her uncle and her uncle's co-worker in 2008 to represent them in a racial discrimination case against their employer. Jackson allegedly assured the two that she was able to handle that type of case and agreed to take it on a contingency fee basis, an agreement she never committed to writing, according to the recommendation.
Thereafter, Jackson did not respond to status update requests, didn't inform her clients about whether she filed the suit or "furthered the case in any other respect," the recommendation said.
Her uncle said in a sworn statement to the office of disciplinary counsel that he has had no contact with Jackson since 2016 and that he could find no other attorney to take his case because it is too old, the recommendation said.