An Allegheny County attorney is suspended from practice for one year and one day following a finding that he violated the Rules of Professional Conduct in dealing with four clients.
Joseph Alexander Scioscia III, 39, was admitted to practice in Pennsylvania in 2020. He worked out of Carnegie.
According to a joint filing before the state Supreme Court disciplinary board, the problems for Scioscia date to 2022 and included two arrests for driving under the influence.
According to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, Scioscia was appointed to represent a Butler County man in an appeal but failed to file an amended petition or respond to the defendant from May 2, 2022, until Aug. 11, 2022, when he asked for an extension. Then, having never filed anything else or responded to the client, Scioscia was removed by the court in April 2023.
In that instance, the petition said, Scioscia also failed to respond to the disciplinary board when it inquired about the case.
In the second allegation, the board said Scioscia failed to fulfill his obligations representing a woman who paid him $2,500 for a civil matter.
Then, in 2023, the board said Scioscia failed to properly file divorce paperwork for a man in Allegheny County who paid him $1,750.
When the man asked about it, Scioscia did not properly respond for more than a year before requesting an additional $690 in fees, according to the board. Then, a year later, the paperwork was filed incorrectly a second time, the board said.
The final allegation, the board said, stemmed from Scioscia being hire to represent a college student in a non-traffic citation. She asked that he request an online hearing because she attended school in Alabama. However, Scioscia failed to make the request — and then failed to show up at the in-person hearing, which required the student to travel back to Pittsburgh.
In 2024, Scioscia was convicted of two counts of DUI.
The petition alleged violations of several of the rules of professional conduct for Scioscia failing to provide competent representation to clients.
Both Scioscia and the Office Disciplinary Counsel agreed to the one year suspension.
Lawyer attended Air Force Academy
According to the filing, Scioscia accepted responsibility for his misconduct and has fulfilled his obligations regarding his criminal convictions, including following through on recommended treatment and engaging with Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers.
In addition, the filing noted that the practice Scioscia initially entered after law school did not have a mentorship environment “suited to cultivating sound professional habits” and fell short in helping a young attorney develop responsible practices.
The filing noted that prior to law school, Scioscia served four years at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Ryan James, who represents Scioscia in the disciplinary matter, said the suspension will allow him to regroup and “reenter the practice of law stronger than before.”
“Joe Scioscia is a young attorney who has only been practicing law for five years,” James said Monday. “He came into practice not only during an unpredictable time during COVID, but also during a time when he was grappling with personal challenges that he did not anticipate. Joe honorably served our country in the Air Force, and he accepted responsibility for his shortcomings in practice.
Since the fall of 2024, the filing noted, Scioscia has committed to working to better himself.
“Respondent has implemented reforms to the communication and workflow systems in his practice and has also made improvements to his document management and record-keeping.”