The Maui News

David Sereno, an attorney on Maui for more than 30 years, was suspended from practicing law in the state, according to the state Office of Disciplinary Counsel.

The suspension by the Hawaii Supreme Court took effect Wednesday and will continue until further order of the court, according to a news release.

It said Sereno was suspended for failing to cooperate in two pending disciplinary matters. One involved a November 2018 complaint from an Arizona inmate who reported that he had been unsuccessful in contacting Sereno after he was paid a retainer to represent the inmate.

While that complaint was pending, the Office of Disciplinary Counsel received another complaint in August from a Pukalani resident who said Sereno hadn’t returned her calls or kept appointments after she paid him a retainer to represent her, according to court records.

In a petition seeking Sereno’s suspension, the Office of Disciplinary Counsel reported numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact Sereno about the complaints.

The suspension order filed Wednesday requires Sereno to notify his clients and any attorneys for adverse parties in pending litigation of his suspension. He also is required to return any advance payments of fees that haven’t been earned to clients.

Sereno, 58, was admitted to the Hawaii bar in 1988 after graduating from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii. He was a deputy public defender on Maui before starting a private practice in Wailuku in 1997. His practice focused on criminal defense and personal injury cases.

Sereno couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.