This is a twistedstory. There are two reasons why this report is so out of the usual. First, the defendant is not a US attorney. He says that he is an attorney in Mexico, has an office in DC, where foreign attorneys may practice without a bar admission and he is then permitted to piggyback to practice law elsewhere.
The second reason is found in the story: "Attorney Thomas J. Henry filed the lawsuit Oct. 8 on behalf of Paloma Steele of Corpus Christi. Henry ran television ads last month alleging Celis was not licensed to practice law anywhere.
We have never seen television ads in aid of litigation. Has anyone?
"Celis testified in an unrelated case in May that he was not licensed in Texas or any other state but is an attorney in Mexico. He said his law firm, CGT Law Group International, was incorporated in Washington, D.C., where laws allow non-lawyers and foreign lawyers to operate. Once established there, firms can transfer the right to operate to other states, Celis said.
Henry said Friday he would not disclose details of the case that prompted the lawsuit.
"It’s an extremely serious case," Henry said.
Robert Vargas, Nueces County Court at Law No. 1 judge, recused himself from the case. Presiding Judge J. Manuel Bañales assigned Kleberg County Court at Law Judge Martin Chiuminatto Jr. to hear the case. No hearing has been set.
Celis, who regularly donated to Democratic causes in South Texas and nationally, was thrust into the limelight last month through a series of bizarre events.
On Sept. 15, a nearly nude woman fled his Kings Crossing home and Celis appeared on the scene flashing a Duval County sheriff’s badge, asking that the woman be turned over to him, according to police reports. Celis’ law enforcement credentials expired in 2003. Henry’s commercials started airing shortly afterward, and Celis sued Henry and local television stations but later dropped the suit.
The Attorney General’s Office sued Celis on Wednesday, alleging the law firm Celis operated broke the law in allowing him to take a share of profits."