NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana Supreme Court placed three attorneys on probation after disciplinary hearings on inappropriate actions with a college student and DWI cases.
Baton Rouge attorney Tedrick Keefe Knightshead, accused of "inappropriate interactions with a college student," along with West Monroe attorney Raymond Fritz Niswanger and Baton Rouge William F. Janney, all are on probation.
In separate Louisiana Supreme Court disciplinary proceedings, the three attorneys received fully deferred year-and-a-day suspensions. They were then placed on probation. They must pay all costs and expenses, plus interest, in the disciplinary proceedings against them.
In all three disciplinary proceedings, the court's order followed the beginning of separate office of disciplinary counsel investigations into allegations against the attorneys, all three of whom reached a joint petition for consent discipline ahead of formal charges.
In its single-page disciplinary proceeding issued March 9, the Supreme Court placed Knightshead on two years of unsupervised probation following allegations he "had inappropriate interactions with a college student intern who worked at his office," the disciplinary proceeding said.
"The probationary period shall commence from the date [Knightshead] and the office of disciplinary counsel execute a formal probation plan," the disciplinary order said. "Any failure of [Knightshead] to comply with the conditions of probation, or any misconduct during the probationary period, may be grounds for making the deferred suspension executory, or imposing additional discipline, as appropriate."
The disciplinary proceeding provided no additional details about Knightshead's alleged misconduct.
Knightshead was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on Dec. 17, 2003, according to his profile at the Louisiana State Bar Association's website.
In a separate disciplinary proceeding issued March 9, the Supreme Court placed Niswanger on two years of probation following his DWI arrest.
Niswanger's probation is to coincide with his Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program recovery agreement.
Niswanger was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on Oct. 23, 2008, according to his profile at the Louisiana State Bar Association's website.
In another disciplinary proceeding issued March 16, Janney's fully-deferred suspension is subject to a five-year Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program recovery agreement following his DWI arrest.
Janney was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on Oct. 9, 1981, according to his profile at the Louisiana State Bar Association's website.