The State Supreme Court of Wisconsin has disbarred the prominent Milwaukee attorney Joseph W. Weigel following a finding that he misappropriated funds. Weigel apparently used the funds “to pay vendors or other clients.” Paul Schwarzenbart, the special prosecutor on the case, compared Mr. Weigel’s scheme to a Ponzi scheme. Mr. Schwarzenbart explained that Mr. Weigel would run “hundreds of millions of dollars through the fund and used money won in new cases to pay off clients in older cases.” In addition, Mr. Weigel would not pay the consultants or experts that testified in the cases that he tried.
If Mr. Weigel would like to re-apply to the bar he can do so five years after he was disbarred. According to disciplinary rules, Mr. Weigel cannot receive profits that own his firm produces, Weigil, Carlson, Blau & Clemens, following the date of his disbarment on February 1, 2013.
See Cary Spivak, Prominent Milwaukee Lawyer Loses License For Misuse of Funds, Journal Sentinel, Dec. 19, 2012.
Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.
