On Monday, October 28, 2024, the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board recommended that Luke Joseph Thibodeaux II’s application for reinstatement be denied.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Joseph Thibodeaux II,” with case no. 23-DB-042.
Thibodeaux has been suspended from practicing law since January 2023 after pleading no contest to charges of domestic battery and simple battery stemming from an alcohol-fueled incident in February 2020. He filed a petition for reinstatement in June 2023.
The Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board held a hearing on Thibodeaux’s petition in August 2024. During the hearing, witnesses testified about Thibodeaux’s conduct since his suspension and treatment for alcohol use disorder. Pamela Heart, the chief investigator for the East Baton Rouge Office of the Public Defender, spoke positively about his work as an investigator. Fred Blanche and Lewis Blanche, who have been involved in lawyers’ recovery programs, believe Thibodeaux has made strides in his sobriety.
However, the board raised concerns about Thibodeaux not fully completing a recommended inpatient treatment program at Talbot Recovery Center in 2020 and violating his monitoring agreement with the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program (JLAP) in September 2023 by drinking alcohol. Thibodeaux also refused to undergo an updated evaluation recommended by JLAP and stopped communicating with the program.
While the board acknowledged Thibodeaux’s strides in sobriety, such as monthly counseling and sobriety testing, it ultimately denied his petition. The board found Thibodeaux did not prove he satisfied all criteria for reinstatement under Louisiana Supreme Court Rule XIX, Section 24(E). Specifically, as alcohol abuse was a factor in his misconduct, he did not show compliance with JLAP recommendations as required under Section 24(E)(3).
In its recommendation, the panel acknowledged Thibodeaux has been sidelined from practicing law for a “considerable amount of time.” If not for the unambiguous language of Section 24(E)(3), the board said it may have provisionally reinstated Thibodeaux subject to two years of JLAP monitoring. However, as Thibodeaux did not establish full compliance with JLAP, the board said it was bound to deny his petition.
The recommendation states:
“The Committee respectfully recommends that Petitioner’s application for reinstatement be denied. Petitioner did not prove satisfaction of the requirements of Rule 24(E)(3), which in part provides: where alcohol abuse was a causative factor in the lawyer’s misconduct, the lawyer shall not be reinstated or readmitted unless all three conditions set forth therein are met.”
According to avvo.com, Mr. Thibodeaux II is a defective and dangerous product attorney in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He acquired his law license in Louisiana in 2009.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
