Public Reprimand of Lawyer Jacquelyn Champagne

The Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) and Jacquelyn Champagne, Milwaukee, entered into an agreement for imposition of a public reprimand, pursuant to SCR 22.09(1). A supreme court-appointed referee approved the agreement, and issued the public reprimand on Dec. 7, 2009, in accordance with SCR 22.09(3). The public reprimand stemmed from a single matter investigated by the OLR.

Champagne, while a litigation associate at a Milwaukee law firm, represented a client in litigation arising out of a guardianship and protective placement matter. The original petition for guardianship and protective placement (the petition) was not filed before the transfer of the ward and a court had not approved the transfer, as required by law. That happened, in part, because messengers arrived at the clerk’s office after it was closed on the day of transfer (July 1, 2003) and returned the next morning (July 2, 2003) to file the petition.

Champagne was not responsible for the initial preparation or filing of the petition. In addition, Champagne was under the supervision of other partners at the firm, who guided her in her positions at appearances before various tribunals. Still, Champagne knew that the petition had not been filed before the patient was transferred and knew that the statutory requirements for transferring a patient had not been followed. Despite this knowledge, Champagne made several false statements to courts related to these facts.

Full Article and Source:
State Bar of Wisconsin - Public Reprimand of Jacqueline Champagne