Attorney's Wisconsin and Minesota licenses to practice suspended

An attorney from Lake Elmo, Minnesota, had his license to practice law in Wisconsin suspended for 30 days after the Supreme Court of Minnesota imposed a similar penalty.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court confirmed the suspension after attorney Paul E. Overson and the Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) agreed to the 30-day punishment. He could not be reached for comment.

The OLR filed a complaint and motion against Overson on June 18 alleging he was subject to reciprocal discipline under SCR 22.22 since his Minnesota law license was suspended. The OLR also alleged Overson violated SCR 22.22(1) by failing to notify them of his Minnesota license suspension within 20 days of the effective date.

The Minnesota Supreme Court suspended Overson’s license on Feb. 23, 2024, saying he knowingly making a misleading statement to a court during a hearing and subsequently failed to correct his misleading statement.

The underlying case involves a custody dispute filed in Washington County (Minnesota) District Court in June 2022. According to the Minnesota Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility, Overson failed to tell the court during a September 2022 hearing that the parties had already agreed to dismiss a matter involving an order for protection. He failed during and after the hearing “to correct his misleading statement and failed during the hearing to inform the court that the parties had agreed to dismiss the OFP matter,” according to court records.

On July 25, 2024, Overson and the OLR filed a stipulation agreeing that due to his Minnesota suspension, he was subject to reciprocal discipline in Wisconsin. According to court documents, Overson did not contest the facts and misconduct alleged by the OLR. The Supreme Court accepted the stipulation and ordered the 30-day suspension.

Overson was admitted to practice law in Wisconsin in 2018.

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