The Lee County Courthouse in Keokuk, Iowa. (Courthouse photo via Google Earth; seal courtesy of the State of Iowa)
A southeast Iowa lawyer’s license will remain suspended at least through the end of the year over allegations that he refused to cooperate with state officials over an inquiry into client trust accounts.
In April 2024, the Iowa Supreme Court temporarily suspended attorney Steven J. Swan’s license to practice law, citing his alleged failure to comply with a Client Security Commission request for information on clients’ trust accounts. The trust accounts consist of money paid by clients for the handling of their cases.
In June, Swan applied for reinstatement, which led to an objection by the Iowa Attorney Disciplinary Board. The board alleged it was still unable to certify that Swan had not engaged in the practice of law while suspended.
In October, the court denied Swan’s application for reinstatement of his license. State records indicate his license remains suspended and that he will be ineligible to apply for reinstatement prior to Jan. 1, 2025.
In addition, the suspension will continue until the board, the Office of Professional Regulation, and the Client Security Commission certify that Swan is in compliance with all of their requirements for reinstatement.
The court is also requiring Swan to submit documentation from a qualified medical professional that he is fit to practice law.
Swan’s law office in Keokuk remains open, but he could not be reached for comment.
In August, District Judge Clinton Boddicker wrote to the Iowa Supreme Court to voice support for Swan’s reinstatement, citing his experience and the lack of lawyers practicing in Lee County and Keokuk in particular. Attorney Kevin Kuckelman also voiced support for Swan, noting that there are only four private-practice attorneys living and working in Keokuk.
Myron Gookin, chief judge of Iowa’s 8th Judicial District, told the court earlier this year that he had asked all of the judges in the Keokuk area whether they had any opinions to share regarding Swan’s efforts to have his license reinstated.
According to Gookin, two judges emailed him responses and a third spoke to him on the phone. Gookin reported that one of the judges stated in writing that “Swan’s health has been compromised for years” and that Swan’s “work product has been poor. He rarely, in my experience, does his work the correct way the first time. Some errors are innocuous, others not so.”