On Tuesday, August 12, 2025, the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board Hearing Committee recommended the revocation of Chester J. Rothkamm, Jr.’s probation and the enforcement of a previously deferred one-year-and-one-day suspension from practicing law. This decision stems from a motion filed by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel (ODC) on June 19, 2025, citing multiple violations of Rothkamm’s probation conditions and professional conduct rules.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Chester J. Rothkamm Jr.,” with case number 23-CD-011.
Rothkamm was initially suspended by the Louisiana Supreme Court on May 23, 2023, for one year and one day. The suspension was fully deferred, contingent on his successful completion of a two-year supervised probation period.
The petition acknowledged Rothkamm’s mishandling of his client trust account, including commingling and converting funds, and his failure to oversee electronic transfers from the account. A formal probation agreement was executed on August 29, 2023, setting specific conditions, including quarterly trust account audits, timely responses to ODC requests, and compliance with bar membership requirements.
The ODC’s motion to revoke probation highlighted Rothkamm’s failure to adhere to these conditions. He repeatedly neglected to disclose details of his JPMorgan Chase Bank IOLTA account, submit required quarterly reconciliations, or provide supporting documentation, such as bank statements and account ledgers. Additionally, Rothkamm failed to report significant transactions, including a $278,618.36 deposit and $308,683.93 disbursement from his trust account, notably, $144,479.43 from a property sale belonging to client Mark Hidalgo, deposited around August 3, 2023.
Further violations involved misconduct during the probationary period. Rothkamm was found to have converted Hidalgo’s $144,479.43 for personal use, despite multiple requests for payment, violating Rules 1.15(a), 1.15(d), and 8.4(c) of the Rules of Professional Conduct. His failure to comply with Hidalgo’s requests led to court filings and judicial intervention, breaching Rule 8.4(d).
On April 23, 2025, during a Zoom hearing, Rothkamm falsely claimed to Judge Penelope Richard that his CPA misappropriated the funds, violating Rules 3.3(a)(1) and 8.4(c). He was later found in contempt of court, ordered to pay a $100 fine, and faced a 24-hour jail term on April 25, 2025, for non-compliance with a court order to pay Hidalgo and related legal fees.
Rothkamm also provided misleading statements to the ODC, initially denying knowledge of the property sale funds and his statements to Judge Richard, only correcting them when confronted with evidence. His failure to respond to multiple ODC requests and complaints further violated Rules 8.1(c) and 8.1(e).
On August 1, 2025, Rothkamm, his counsel, and the ODC signed a stipulation acknowledging these violations, leading to the cancellation of a scheduled August 6, 2025, hearing.
The Hearing Committee unanimously concluded that Rothkamm’s actions warranted the revocation of his probation and the enforcement of the deferred suspension.
The Recommendation states:
“Accordingly, the Hearing Committee recommends that the ODC Motion be granted, and that the previously* deferred one-year and one-day suspension be made executory.
According to Avvo, Mr. Rothkamm is a criminal defense lawyer in Baton Rouge, LA. He acquired his law license in Louisiana in 1990.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
