The Louisiana Supreme Court has suspended a high-profile civil rights attorney after an investigation into charges that Ronald S. Haley Jr. failed to respond to client requests and inappropriately tried to resolve a malpractice claim.
The Baton Rouge attorney’s clients included the family of Ronald Green, an African-American driver who died after being beaten during a traffic stop while in the custody of the Louisiana State Police in northern Louisiana.
The high court on Dec. 7 issued an order that Haley be suspended from practicing law for one year and one day, but the justices also deferred all but six months of that time period. The action followed a probe by the Office of Disciplinary Council (ODC), which investigated allegations that the attorney neglected a legal matter and failed to provide a client a legal file, among other instances of unprofessional conduct.
The Supreme Court also required that Haley complete ethics training provided by the Louisiana State Bar.
One justice dissented from the high court’s order. Justice Scott Crichton urged rejection of the consent discipline agreed to by Haley and the ODC.
“In my view, discipline of a one-year-and-one-day suspension with all but six months deferred is unduly lenient,” Crichton said in a statement. “Under the facts presented, I would instead impose a suspension of one year and one day with no deferment period.”
Haley’s attorney indicated that his client continues to have a promising future despite the suspension. Haley’s practice areas include personal injury, criminal defense and family law.
“I fully expect Ron to return to his law practice,” Lewis O. Unglesby said in an email to the Louisiana Record. “Ron has accepted his mistake and will return to successfully representing his clients.”
This month’s suspension order was not the first disciplinary action taken against Haley. The attorney was the subject of a 2016 order calling for his suspension for one year and one day after a probe into a drunken driving arrest, according to state Supreme Court records. The time frame in that suspension, however, was deferred in full subject to certain conditions.