Published in Midwest Flyer – June/July 2020 issue
Former Richland County Circuit Judge Ed Leineweber has been appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to preside as a referee over attorney regulatory matters under the supervision of the Supreme Court. In an order issued by the Court in early February, Leineweber and 14 others, mostly other retired judges, were appointed for initial terms of either two or four years, with Judge Leineweber’s being one of the four-year appointments. The referees are located around the state to provide geographic coverage. Judge Leineweber will be assigned matters arising in the South Central and Southwestern Wisconsin regions.
The new referee appointments are part of recent changes by the Court in the process for investigating and prosecuting alleged ethical violations by Wisconsin-licensed lawyers. Complaints are initially made to the Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR), an agency of the Supreme Court. If upon investigation complaints are determined by OLR to warrant further action, formal complaints are filed before the Supreme Court. These matters are then referred to one of the referees to conduct hearings similar to circuit court trials.
Following a hearing, the referee makes a formal written decision and submits recommendations to the Supreme Court as to what actions the Court should take. Such actions can range from dismissal of the ethics complaint through disciplinary sanctions, such as a private or public reprimand, license suspension, or even disbarment, if warranted. The Supreme Court makes the final decision and can accept, reject or modify the findings and recommendations of the referee.
Leineweber has been a Reserve Judge since his departure from the Richland County Circuit Court in 2011. As such, he is available to fill in for active Circuit Judges around the state as the need arises due to such things as sickness, vacations or the need to provide temporary extra help caused by unusually high caseloads. Such assignments can be anywhere from as little as a single hearing to lengthy deployments to handle an entire court calendar.
Considering this new Supreme Court appointment, except for continuing to conduct civil mediations, Judge Leineweber has concluded the limited private law practice he maintained since leaving full-time judging.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Besides having served as a judge, attorney, and now as a referee over attorney regulatory matters, Ed Leineweber has been a pilot for nearly 40 years, an aircraft owner, Certified Flight Instructor, licensed aviation maintenance technician, former fixed base operator, airport manager, FAA Safety Team member, and contributing editor to Midwest Flyer Magazine. When not serving as a referee over attorney regulatory matters, Leineweber enjoys working in his shop at the airport on aircraft restorations and on his aircraft kit company, and spending time with family and friends.
