Ketchikan attorney barred from practicing law

The Alaska Supreme Court has barred a long-time Ketchikan attorney from practicing law for three years.

Loren K. Stanton was suspended for violating ethics rules by having a sexual relationship with a client in 2014.

Supreme Court documents state the misconduct involved a woman in her early 20s with a history of substance abuse. Stanton represented the woman pro bono in a child-custody dispute with her mother and stepfather.

The Supreme Court order says the attorney and his client texted nude photos to each other, along with comments on each other’s anatomy. Both denied engaging in intercourse.

While the suspension was announced Friday, it took effect last August, when Stanton officially retired. Documents state he, the court and the Alaska Bar Association agreed to terms of the suspension.

 

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