NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana Supreme Court has suspended Baton Rouge lawyer Ron Haley for a year and a day after investigators for a disciplinary panel said he gave "short shrift" to clients who expected his help either eliminating or minimizing criminal cases against them.

Four justices agreed to the sanction imposed; two believed it was too lenient and one believed it was too harsh. When the suspension is over, Haley will have to apply for reinstatement.

According to investigators from the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, Haley "gave assurances to his clients that he would protect them and take care of them, but in reality, gave them short shrift." Collecting fees "appeared to end any serious and committed representation of his clients," they said.

Haley was already serving a suspension for reasons not disclosed in April, and in 2021 was suspended for six months after being accused of neglecting a legal matter and trying to settle a malpractice claim in an inappropriate matter. Previously, he had been disciplined by the court following arrests for driving while intoxicated in 2008 and 2011.

Investigators for the Office of Disciplinary Council cited four recent cases in asking for a new sanction:

-Haley didn't act with reasonable diligence and promptness while representing a man accused of having 51 pounds of cocaine in his car. The defendant said Haley failed to argue that police had no probable cause for a traffic stop.

-Haley assured a man accused of beating a corrections officer that all charges would be removed from his criminal record after taking a plea agreement. The defendant discovered later that they weren't, and later had to pay a different lawyer $4,500 to handle expungement paperwork.

-Haley twice took on cases while on suspension. In one, he accepted $10,000 to handle work in St. Tammany Parish and in the other the client paid for new tires and rims as partial payment for fees.

The board of the Office of Disciplinary Counsel accepted most of the findings but did say that it found no clear evidence that Haley made false statements to clients. It said there may have been "insufficient communication and some misunderstandings" but said it didn't appear intentional.

The board also said that Haley didn't appear to directly practice law while on suspension.