©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| Galesburg Attorney Recommended for Law License Suspension |
A state agency has recommended that a Galesburg attorney be barred from practicing law for a month and a half in connection to allegations that she committed misconduct while representing a man suspected of murder. The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission has recommended that Kimberly Norton be suspended for 45 days after allegedly engaging in inappropriate conduct while serving as the attorney for now-24-year old Christopher Mixon.
Mixon was charged with First Degree Murder Accountability for his alleged role in the shooting death of Patrick Thomas Lynch in April of 2006. Norton was appointed to represent lynch after now-former Assistant Knox County Public Defender Geoffrey Campbell was dropped after taking medical leave.
Norton was accused of interviewing the other defendant in the case, Anthony Bell without the knowledge of Bell's attorney, Knox County Public Defender Jim Harrell. Norton was fired from the case after allegedly costing the county too much money, and Campbell was believed to be reappointed. Norton allegedly then failed to turn over a videotape of her interview with Bell.
The ARDC recommendation was filed Tuesday, and does say it doesn't believe she intended to cause Mixon any harm, but that a short period of suspension would be appropriate in order to benefit both the public and the legal profession. The recommendation goes to the Illinois Supreme Court for review.
Mixon eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Bell was convicted of Murder and sentenced to 32-years in prison.
Read the entire ARDC ruling and recommendation by CLICKING HERE (PDF document). |
|
| 08 08 08 by Newsroom |
Click here for the WGIL News Archive
Click here for national news
The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.
