Court suspends license of attorney from Alexandria

The Minnesota Supreme Court has indefinitely suspended attorney Susan R. Anderson of Alexandria.

The discipline was imposed on February 21 after the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility (OLPR) filed a petition for disciplinary action against Anderson.

The OLPR claims that Anderson committed professional misconduct by failing to act with diligence, failure to communicate with a client, failure to account for and pay over to a client settlement funds, and failure to cooperate with a disciplinary investigation.

Anderson did not respond to the OLPR’s petition.

When contacted by the Echo Press, Anderson said she plans to appeal the suspension. She emphasized that no funds were taken. She provided the following statement:

“Attorneys often have large case loads with a number of clients, especially attorneys in private practice. I am the only attorney who handles my cases. I deeply regret that this client did not receive sufficient attention. There have occurred a number of personal circumstances in my life over the past couple years and the client did not get the attention she deserved.”

The suspension takes effect 14 days from the February 21 filing date of the order. Anderson isn’t allowed to petition for reinstatement of her license for at least one year.

As a condition of seeking reinstatement, Anderson must establish that she provided the client who was the subject of this disciplinary petition with an accounting of all client funds and returned to the client all the funds, as well as any unearned portion of her retainer.

She is also required to notify her clients and opposing counsel of the suspension and must pay $900 in court costs.

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