Iowa Supreme Court Board of Professional Ethics & Conduct v. Allen

LAVORATO, Justice.

This case arises out of attorney Stephen W. Allen’s actions while he was a guardian and a conservator for his aunt. The Iowa Supreme Court Board of Professional Ethics and Conduct alleged Allen took fees from the conservatorship without prior court approval, made unauthorized gifts to himself, and otherwise took conservatorship funds and converted them to his own use. The Grievance Commission found that the board had established the violations alleged but only recommended a public reprimand.

We determined from a preliminary review of the record that a greater sanction, up to…