State bar fund awards $100,000 to Conour fraud victims

The Indiana State Bar Association Clients’ Financial Assistance Fund Committee has given $100,000 to victims who suffered losses due to the dishonest acts of ex-attorney William Conour, the ISBA announced Monday. The money was divided among 24 victims.

Conour, whom the government says defrauded former clients of nearly $7 million, is currently serving a 10-year sentence on a federal wire conviction.

“Regrettably, Conour’s conduct hurt a lot of people and has had a negative impact on the practice of law,” said Thomas E. Irons, chair of the CFAF Committee. “I hope that payouts like these can help to ease the burden of victims caused by dishonest attorneys and emphasize the strong commitment of the State Bar to the public.”

Conour, a former wrongful-death and personal-injury attorney in Indianapolis, stole money from clients over the course of at least four years in order to fund his lavish lifestyle, the federal government claims. He was accused of using money from new client settlements to pay for old settlements and debt. Conour pleaded guilty to the wire fraud charge in 2013 and is now appealing his sentence.

The Clients’ Financial Assistance Fund was created in 1962 to help uphold the integrity of the state’s legal profession. ISBA members voluntarily contribute money yearly to the fund to cover some portion of the losses suffered by clients of dishonest attorneys.