A lawyer from Texas will be banned from seeking admission to the Louisiana bar for more than a year after he filed a motion in a Louisiana court case without seeking pro hac vice admission, according to the state supreme court.
Travis Mitchell Hill, who is licensed to practice in Texas but not in Louisiana, filed a motion seeking to transfer a Louisiana case to Texas in April of 2020. He then received a letter from a judicial district court domestic commissioner, and admitted to not being a member of the Louisiana bar.
The official then hit Hill with a disciplinary complaint, and Hill responded by saying he was seeking to bring a case into Texas to do a name change for a child. On Nov. 16, 2020, the Office of Disciplinary Counsel filed formal charges, which Hill failed to answer.
The disciplinary board determined Hill knowingly violated Rules of Professional Conduct by making a formal appearance in the Louisiana litigation without seeking or receiving temporary admission. The board recommended Hill be enjoined for one year and one day from seeking admission to the Louisiana bar, or asking to practice within the state temporarily.
The Supreme Court of Louisiana affirmed that finding Tuesday, saying case law supports such a sanction. The state high court compared the situation to misconduct by non-Louisiana attorneys, and crafted the sanction accordingly.
Court documents don’t identify counsel in the case.
The case is In re Hill, La., No. 2021-B-1616, 2/8/22.
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