Evansville attorney with local ties suspended by Indiana Supreme Court

That order came down from the Indiana Supreme Court on Friday as a result of an earlier decision by the court's Disciplinary Commission.

Attorney Douglas W. Patterson, formerly of Lyons, was found to have engaged in misconduct by his conversion of client funds, deceit in concealing his misconduct, and dishonesty with the Disciplinary Commission," Indiana State Supreme Court justices wrote.

Patterson, an L & M graduate, was admitted to the Indiana State Bar in 1989, and is known for his work on bankruptcy cases.

The suspension stems from accusations that surfaced in August 2000, when officials at a law firm Patterson had previously worked for accused him of writing five checks to himself in July 2000 from a client trust account, according to a published report in the Evansville Courier & Press.

When Patterson left the firm, he reportedly was told to stop making deposits into the trust account, and to destroy the old checks or turn them over to the firm's bookkeeper. The bookkeeper and another attorney who'd worked at the firm with Patterson did not know that Patterson continued to use the account.

On Aug. 17, 2000, the bookkeeper reportedly discovered that Patterson had written five checks to himself in July 2000, the Courier & Press reported.

When law firm officials confronted him, Patterson initially denied knowledge of the checks, then later admitted he'd written the checks and "spontaneously" added that he "did not have a gambling problem," the Courier & Press story stated.

A later audit revealed that Patterson had written other checks to himself in May 2000, and an additional suspicious transaction was noted from January 2000.

The checks totaled $10,500.

It was eventually determined that nearly all of the converted funds belonged to a single client, and Patterson reportedly repaid the money, according to the Courier.

Indianapolis-based attorney Kevin P. McGoff represented Patterson. He said despite the nature of the allegations, no criminal charges were ever filed.

The Indiana Supreme Court noted that after the three-year suspension -- which begins July 31 -- Patterson can be reinstated only if he complies with requirements set forth by the Disciplinary Commission.

"This includes demonstrating that his attitude toward his misconduct is one of genuine remorse and that he can safely be recommended to the legal profession, the courts and the public as a person fit to act in matters of trust and confidence," the judges wrote.