On Tuesday, April 30, 2024, the Supreme Court of Louisiana suspended attorney Irvin Joseph Celestine, Jr. from the practice of law for one year and one day based on formal disciplinary charges brought against him by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel relating to two separate matters.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Irvin Joseph Celestine, Jr.,” with case no. 2024-B-00187.
The first matter stemmed from a lawsuit Celestine filed on behalf of client Throme Lacroix and a minor child in November 2018 regarding an automobile accident. Celestine reached a settlement agreement with the opposing party’s insurer in early 2019 but failed to communicate the agreement to Lacroix or complete the necessary paperwork to finalize the settlement. Over the next year and a half, Celestine avoided contact with both Lacroix and opposing counsel, missing multiple court hearings on motions to enforce the settlement agreement.
In the second matter, Celestine was appointed to represent defendant Paul Kost in a criminal case in January 2022. However, Kost and his family were unable to reach Celestine despite numerous phone calls and emails. Kost filed a complaint with the disciplinary counsel in April 2022, but Celestine also failed to respond to this complaint or cooperate with the investigation. Celestine only spoke with Kost for the first time on the May court date, where Kost then entered a guilty plea.
A joint disciplinary hearing was held on the consolidated matters in June 2023. In the Lacroix matter, the committee found Celestine failed to properly communicate with his client, settled the case without Lacroix’s consent, and avoided cooperating with the investigation into the subsequent complaint. In the Kost matter, the factual allegations were deemed admitted due to Celestine’s failure to file an answer, indicating he essentially ignored the allegations and investigation.
Based on these findings, the committee determined Celestine violated various rules of professional conduct governing competency, diligence, communication, honesty, and cooperation with disciplinary authorities. Noting a lack of mitigating factors and Celestine’s non-cooperation as an aggravator, they recommended a one-year and one-day suspension.
Both the disciplinary board and court agreed with the committee’s findings and recommendations. In the court’s per curiam ruling, they noted Celestine’s actions violated duties to his clients and legal profession, and caused potential harm. They suspended him for one year and one day to protect the public and maintain high standards, citing two similar prior cases where attorneys neglected clients and failed to cooperate, receiving the same sanction.
The Disposition states:
“Upon review of the findings and recommendation of the hearing committee and the disciplinary board, and considering the record, it is ordered that Irvin Joseph Celestine, Jr., Louisiana Bar Roll number 30871, be and he hereby is suspended from the practice of law for a period of one year and one day.”
According to avvo.com, Mr. Celestine Jr. is an attorney in Lafayette, Louisiana. He acquired his law license in Louisiana in 2007.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
