NEW ORLEANS (Louisiana Record) — Longtime Alexandria attorney Darrell K. Hickman faces possible disbarment following a Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board (LADB) recommendation to the state Supreme Court over allegations in two client matters.
In its 18-page recommendation, the LADB recommended Hickman be suspended for a year and a day, with all but three months deferred, followed by a year of probation.
The LADB also recommended that Hickman pay all costs and expenses in the disciplinary proceedings against him.
The LADB's recommendation follows a hearing committee's legal conclusions and its own recommendation in February of last year, recommending Hickman be suspended for a one year and one day, with six months deferred. The hearing committee also recommend Hickman's suspension be followed by a year of supervised probation.
Hickman was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on April 11, 1994, according to his profile at the Louisiana State Bar Association’s website, and to the State Bar of Texas on Nov. 1, 1991, according to the recommendation. Hickman currently is ineligible to practice in Texas over alleged failure to comply with the Texas bar's administrative requirements.
Allegations against Hickman stemmed from an employment law matter and a divorce matter. Hickman is alleged to have violated professional conduct rules, including those regarding diligence, candor and keeping clients reasonably informed. Hickman admitted to most of the allegations against him.
After the hearing committee issued its recommendations, the office of disciplinary counsel filed a notice of objection to the committee's findings, conclusions, and recommendations, arguing its recommended sanction was too lenient. The ODC recommended, instead, that Hickman be suspended for a year following by a year of supervised probation.
Hickman filed his own notice of objection, arguing the recommended sanction was excessive and suggested he receive a one-year suspension, with all but three months deferred, followed by a year of supervised probation
The LADB opted for Hickman's recommended sanction, saying is complied with the Supreme Court's instruction that "the purpose of lawyer disciplinary proceedings is not primarily to punish the lawyer, but rather to maintain appropriate standards of professional conduct to safeguard the public, to preserve the integrity of the legal profession, and to deter other lawyers from engaging in violations of the standards of the profession."
