TX lawyer accused of offering legal services in exchange for sex. License taken away.
A North Texas attorney has resigned his law license as he awaits his trial on a prostitution charge in Erath County, where he is accused of offering legal services in exchange for sex.
The Texas Supreme Court accepted the resignation of James W. Keene on Dec. 10.
Keene, 59, of Dallas, had submitted his resignation on Dec. 3, asking to resign his law license, rather than facing discipline. He also had an office in Stephenville.
In his resignation, Keene also said he was experiencing health issues. He did not provide any details.
The Commission for Lawyer Discipline alleged Keene’s conduct violated an attorney rule that a lawyer can’t “commit a serious crime or commit a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty,” according to the Texas Lawyer.
Keene was arrested in May 2018, and released a few days later on $200,000 bail.
An Erath County grand jury indicted Keene in April on a charge of criminal attempt-compelling prostitution. The attorney has entered a plea of not guilty to the third-degree felony.
Stephenville Detective Seth Reding wrote an arrest warrant for Keene and the information included the following:
Jane Jal, a pseudonym used by the detective to identify the woman, told authorities that Keene came to her Erath County home on April 23, 2018, to discuss her pending criminal charges.
Jal used her cell phone to record the conversation with Keene.
During their conversation, Keene complained that she had failed to timely pay her legal fees and her bond could be revoked.
Keene then made multiple requests for her to have sexual intercourse with him to help pay her outstanding legal fees, and in order for help to remain as her attorney and bondsman, according to the warrant.
The attorney said he would no longer “put up” with Jal if she did not have sex with him.
In the video and recording, Jal told Keene she was married and did not want to have sex with him.
Jal met with detectives on May 11, 2018, and stated Keene had attempted by threat to compel her to prostitution, according to the warrant.
The detective noted based on his knowledge and encounters with Keene, he believed the voice on the recording was Keene. The detective also noted that Jal calls “James Keene” by name several times in the video.
