On Tuesday, November 29, 2022, Louisiana Hearing Committee #26 issued its report in relation to the charges for attorney discipline against Baton Rouge attorney Keelus Renardo Miles alleging misconduct. 

The case is entitled ‘In the matter of Keelus Renardo Miles’ and was brought by the Office of the Disciplinary Counsel. Case #21-DB-020.

The charges cited rules of professional conduct 1.5(c), 1.15(a), 1.15(d), 8.1(c), 8.4(a) and 8.4(c), which state:

A fee may be contingent on the outcome of the matter for which the service is rendered, except in a matter in which a contingent fee is prohibited by Paragraph (d) or other law. A contingent fee agreement shall be in a writing signed by the client. A copy or duplicate original of the executed agreement shall be given to the client at the time of execution of the agreement. The contingency fee agreement shall state the method by which the fee is to be determined, including the percentage or percentages that shall accrue to the lawyer in the event of settlement, trial or appeal; the litigation and other expenses that are to be deducted from the recovery; and whether such expenses are to be deducted before or after the contingent fee is calculated. The agreement must clearly notify the client of any expenses for which the client will be liable whether or not the client is the prevailing party. Upon conclusion of a contingent fee matter, the lawyer shall provide the client with
a written statement stating the outcome of the matter and, if there is a recovery, showing the remittance to the client and the method of its determination.
A lawyer shall hold property of clients or third persons that is in a lawyer’s possession in connection with a representation separate from the lawyer’s own property. Except as provided in (g) and the IOLTA Rules below, funds shall be kept in one or more separate interest-bearing client trust accounts maintained in a bank or savings and loan
association: 1) authorized by federal or state law to do business in Louisiana, the deposits of which are insured by an agency of the federal government; 2) in the state where the lawyer’s primary office is situated, if not within Louisiana; or 3) elsewhere with the consent of the client or third person. No earnings on a client trust account may be made
available to or utilized by a lawyer or law firm. Other property shall be identified as such and appropriately safeguarded. Complete records of such account funds and other property shall be kept by the lawyer and shall be preserved for a period of five years after termination of the representation.
Upon receiving funds or other property in which a client or third person has an interest, a lawyer shall promptly notify the client or third person. For purposes of this rule, the third person’s interest shall be one of which the lawyer has actual knowledge, and shall be limited to a statutory lien or privilege, a final judgment addressing disposition of those funds or property, or a written agreement by the client or the lawyer on behalf of the client guaranteeing payment out of those funds or property. Except as stated in this rule or otherwise permitted by law or by agreement with the client, a lawyer shall promptly deliver to the client or third person any funds or other property that the client or third person is entitled to receive and, upon request by the client or third person, shall promptly render a full accounting regarding such property.
Fail to cooperate with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel in its investigation of any matter before it except for an openly expressed claim of a constitutional privilege.
It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to:
(a) Violate or attempt to violate the Rules of Professional Conduct, knowingly assist or induce another to do so, or do so through the acts of another;
(c) Engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.

The rules of professional conduct can be found here.

The following are as alleged and summarized from the filing:

Miles allegedly engaged in misconduct by mishandling the settlement proceeds of his clients, the Washingtons. It was also alleged that Miles did not deposit the funds into his trust account and that he never had an accounting of those funds as to how they were dispensed to the Washingtons. Moreover, Miles was found to have an unstructured practice of law as shown by his practice of endorsing checks, improper signing of liability releases, and improper notarizing of documents on behalf of the Washingtons. Further, Miles failed to maintain a written fee contingency fee agreement with the Washingtons.

The Report of Hearing Committee states:

‘The formal charges were filed on April 15, 2021. Respondent failed to file an answer to the charges, which resulted in the matter becoming deemed admitted by order signed June 10, 2021. However, on July 1, 2021, Respondent filed a Motion to Set Matter for Hearing  in Mitigation in which he admitted to the factual allegations in the formal charges and requested an opportunity to be heard in mitigation.’

The mitigation hearing was held on August 15, 2022, however, Miles has not provided any testimony or exhibits that would mitigate any penalties that would arise from his admitted violations of the above-cited rules of professional conduct violated.

Accordingly, Hearing Committee #26 unanimously opined that Miles violated the rules as charged.

The Disposition states:

“. . . it is the recommendation of this Hearing Committee that the Respondent be suspended from the practice of law for a period of two (2) years. Post the period of suspension, it is recommended that the Respondent be placed on probation for one (1) year.”

The Hearing Committee further recommended that Miles, during his probationary period, attend trust accounting school and acquire a certified public accountant to monitor his practice’s financial matters.

Costs and expenses of the proceedings were also recommended to be assessed against Miles.

According to his Facebook profile, Mr. Keelus Renardo Miles practices in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with The Miles Law Firm, LLC. He has been licensed in Louisiana.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.