Board recommends license suspension for Joliet attorney

The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission has recommended a three-month suspension of the law license of a Joliet attorney who heads the city's Environmental Commission.

Attorney Gary Davidson's license remains intact while he is likely to appeal.

"It's just a recommendation at this point," said Edward Jarot Jr., a partner at Davidson's firm, Castle Law, speaking on his behalf.

The case at the ARDC has been pending since August 2017.

A hearing board last year ruled that Davidson should be censured for falsely certifying that he had met continuing education requirements in 2016.

The case was reconsidered by an ARDC review board after the agency administrator appealed the ruling.

The review board's report states that Davidson's "misconduct required a more substantial sanction than censure because of the pivotal role that honest self-reporting plays in the success of Illinois' continuing education system."

A three-month suspension would serves as a deterrent and "protect the public and the integrity of the legal profession," the report states.

The ARDC administrator had sought a five-month suspension based on the false reporting and another allegation of misconduct accusing Davidson of participating in a kickback scheme in a fee arrangement made with a land surveyor used for real estate transactions handled by Castle Law.

Both the review and hearing boards found no misconduct concerning the surveyor fees.

Jarot said he believed the three-month suspension will be appealed.

"We're probably going to appeal because it seems there is a big difference between censure and three months," he said.

The Illinois Supreme Court ultimately decides whether to enforce an ARDC recommendation.

Davidson, a Homer Glen resident, is chairman of the commission that studied future water sources for two years before recommending in December that Joliet turn to Lake Michigan to replace the city's deep wells.

Joliet plans to replace the aquifer now supplying the city with Lake Michigan water by 2030.