On September 1, 2023, the Presiding Disciplinary Judge (PDJ) of the Supreme Court of Arizona accepted an Agreement for Discipline by Consent (Agreement) from attorney Charley Lawrence Laman and the State Bar of Arizona. The Agreement outlined the disciplinary actions to be taken against Laman for his misconduct in a probate proceeding.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Charley Lawrence Laman,” with case number PDJ 2023-9065.
According to the Agreement, Laman conditionally admitted to violating several Arizona Rules of the Supreme Court, including ER 1.1, ER 1.2, ER 1.3, ER 1.4, ER 1.5, ER 1.7, ER 1.9, ER 3.4, and ER 8.4(d).
The violations occurred during Laman’s representation of an individual in a probate proceeding, which created a conflict of interest as he had previously served as counsel for the would-be ward. Additionally, he accepted payment from the would-be ward’s trust despite her objections to the guardianship and conservatorship petitions that he had filed.
The Agreement stipulated the existence of aggravating factors, including prior disciplinary offenses, the vulnerability of the victim, and substantial experience in the practice of law. It also agreed that mitigating factors were present, such as full and free disclosure to the disciplinary board, cooperative attitude toward the proceedings, and remorse.
The PDJ accepted the Agreement and ordered a reprimand, two-year probation with specified terms, and payment of the State Bar’s costs. The probation terms included completing the CLE program “10 Deadly Sins of Conflict” within 90 days and paying restitution in the amount of $12,000 to the estate of Nancy Stevens. The PDJ also ordered Laman to commit no further violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct or Rules of the Supreme Court of Arizona.
According to Avvo, Mr. Laman is a family attorney in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Washburn University School of Law, graduating in 1979. He acquired his law license in Arizona in 2006.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
