The Louisiana Supreme Court has suspended a former Baton Rouge civil-rights attorney from practicing law for one year and placed him on probation for two years after he refused to return $10,000 to a client who fired him in 2006.

The court upheld a recommendation from the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board that Johnnie Jones Sr. violated state professional conduct rules.

The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/z3WZEs ) the court also ordered Jones to go to arbitration to determine whether he should refund the $10,000.

Jones, who began practicing law in Baton Rouge in 1953, defended sit-in protesters, and represented participants in the 1953 Baton Rouge bus boycott. He also represented plaintiffs in a school desegregation case that lasted 47 years before being settled in 2003.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com