JEFFERSON CITY — During April, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled to suspend two Missouri Bar-registered attorneys and one sitting judge.
The suspensions were ordered after investigations into complaints made against the attorneys unveiled conduct that was deemed in violation of the Rules Governing the Missouri Board and the Judiciary.
James C. Robinson, a bankruptcy attorney practicing in St. Louis, was suspended April 4 for 18 months. Robinson had previously come under fire for his role with Critique Services LLC, a company that advertised bankruptcy legal services, according to court documents. A federal judge with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court labeled the operation as a “rip-off” because many complaints by clients saying that after paying attorney fees, they were essentially abandoned. Robinson was an attorney working with Critique Services and had his license suspended by the federal courts. The Missouri Bar is enacting reciprocal discipline to the federal order with the suspension.
Elbert A. Walton Jr., also of St. Louis, was involved in the Critique Services scheme. Walton, a former attorney for the state’s Northeast Fire and Ambulance Protection District, was barred from practicing law in bankruptcy courts and on April 4 was suspended from general practice in the state in a reciprocal disciplinary move by the Supreme Court.
Forsyth Judge Tony W. Williams was suspended without pay for one month. His suspension, which went into effect May 1, was given in response to seven counts of misconduct against the judge from two matters. In the first, the judge refused to allow the public into his courtroom, the remaining charges all stem from the actions he took against an attorney and his client during trial.
The attorneys will be eligible for reinstatement at the end of their suspensions granted they adhere to the terms of their individual suspension orders.