Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Michael J. Hicks

¶ 1. We review the report of the referee, Attorney James J. Winiarski, who found that Attorney Michael J. Hicks had committed 35 counts of professional misconduct and recommended that Attorney Hicks' license to practice law in Wisconsin be suspended for a period of two years.

¶ 2. The first issue we must address is the status of Attorney Hicks' appeal and the nature of our review. After the referee filed his report and recommendation, Attorney Hicks filed a notice of appeal on February 6, 2015. On that same date, pursuant to its standard practice, the clerk of this court issued a notice to the…