West Plains, MO. – Former West Plains attorney Schuyler Laverentz has been suspended from practicing law for two years following a Missouri Supreme Court decision in January.
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled on January 30, 2024, that Laverentz had violated Rules 4-8.1(a), 4-8.4(c), 4-1.15, 4-5.3, and 4-8.4 of the Rules of Professional Conduct. These are defined as follows:
- 4-8.1(a) is knowingly making a false statement of material fact.
- 4-8.4(c) engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.
- 4-1.15 covers Trust Accounts and Property of Others (Link here)
- 4-5.3 covers Responsibilities Regarding Nonlawyer Assistants
- 4-8.4 covers Misconduct, including rules violations, criminal acts, and various forms of dishonesty.
This ruling was given following an investigation into Laverentz beginning in 2020, revealing he had not filed personal tax returns or paid taxes since 2013. Not paying federal and state could potentially incur criminal penalties on a person. This, with a previous two-year suspension Laverentz received in 2015 for using trust accounts for personal funds, was argued to put client funds in the trust accounts at risk of being garnished by the IRS and state agencies.
