A former director of a Washington University non-profit legal clinic for practicing law was among four attorneys suspended by the Missouri Supreme Court in June, according to recent announcements by the Missouri State Bar.
David Robert Deal was suspended following an order by the Missouri high court June 9 following an investigation that found probable cause he was guilty of professional misconduct, according to a state bar announcement.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Deal's suspension resulted from practicing law at the legal clinic without a license for at least a decade. Deal, formerly licensed to practice law in Missouri in 1996, was suspended twice before his most recent suspension, according to the Post-Dispatch report, which cited court records. Deal was suspended in 2006 for failing to complete legal education requirements and in 2012 for failing to pay annual enrollment fees, according to the report.
St. Louis attorney Connie S. Hood was suspended after probation revocation following a separate opinion handed down by the state court on June 27. Hood had been placed on probation by the court Nov. 24, 2015 when she was reinstated but did not pay past due fees and penalties of $2,735 as required in the time allotted. Her request for additional time to pay was overruled and the court suspended her for an additional year.
The state supreme court also issued a stayed suspension with probation against Cassville attorney John A. Lewright for violating rules or professional conduct, according to a state court opinion handed down June 27. Lewright's stayed suspension was for one year and he was placed on two years' probation. The court reached that conclusion after considering its previous decisions and ABA standards for imposing lawyer discipline, as well as aggravating and mitigating circumstances, the high court's opinion said.
The state supreme court also suspended Cedar Rapids, Iowa, attorney Bruce A. Willey in a separate opinion handed down June 30. Willey was suspended as part of a motion for reciprocal discipline after his license to practice law in Iowa was suspended for 60 days by the state high court for violating rules of professional conduct, according to a Missouri State Bar announcement.