ICYMI: Lawyers Behaving Badly, Licensing Litigation, and Another National Report Ranking Louisiana Last
Louisiana’s legal ethics expert Dane Ciolino publishes a monthly listing of lawyers and judges who were sanctioned by the Louisiana Supreme Court or recommended for discipline by the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board recommendations. See which Louisiana lawyers were disciplined for or accused of behaving badly in January and February 2023.
One of the more interesting disciplinary cases involved former Lafayette City Court Judge Michelle Odinet, who admitted to using racial slurs after a break in at her home in December 2021. Odinet’s comments were caught on camera, and she resigned shortly after the video went viral.
The incident sparked national news, including reports by CNN and The New York Times. Over the last year, Odinet has stayed largely out of public view while she faced the possibility of formal sanctions for violating the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct.
In January, a 3-member committee of the LA Attorney Disciplinary Board found that Odinet had violated two canons of the Louisiana Bar Association’s Code of Judicial Conduct. However, given that Odinet has already resigned from her judgeship, no additional discipline was warranted.
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Louisiana has gained national notoriety in recent years for being the most licensed state in the United States.
For a myriad of reasons that defy logical explanation, the Pelican State requires a license for more than 75 lower and middle-income professions, such as hair braiding, flower-arranging and interior design. Its estimated, Louisianians lose an average of 175 days in preparation, education, and training to obtain an occupational license and spend an average of $333 on the license itself, according to the Pelican Institute for Public Policy.
In 2022, the Louisiana Legislature passed HB 1062 by Rep. Larry Freeman to allow “any interested person” to challenge the state’s occupational licensing restrictions. Earlier this month, the Pelican Institute’s Center for Justice filed the first formal petition filed under this new law.
According to an article published in the New Orleans City Business, the case involves doctors Laura Stooksbury and Courtney Breen, experienced veterinarians who have been blocked from their profession by a Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine regulation that requires those with out-of-state licenses to have practiced for an average of 20 hours per week without significant interruption in the immediate five years preceding application.
The American Legislative Exchange Council recently published a report ranking Louisiana dead last in the country for economic performance between 2011 and 2021.
In the 16th edition of Rich States, Poor States, ALEC analyzed state gross domestic product, absolute domestic migration, and non-farm payroll to determine state’s economic performance over the decade.
"Each of these factors is influenced directly by state lawmakers through the legislative process," according to the report, authored by economists Arthur Laffer, Stephen Moore and Jonathan Williams.
Louisiana ranked 50th out of 50 states overall, maintaining the state’s last place finish in 2022.