CHARLES B. PLATTSMIER attended Louisiana State University Law Center from 1975 thru 1978 and became licensed to practice law in Louisiana in October of 1978. He entered the private practice of law and by 1981 was a partner in the law firm of Hunter and Plattsmier in Morgan City, Louisiana where the firm’s emphasis was on maritime litigation. In 1993, Mr. Plattsmier began his own firm with offices in both Morgan City and Baton Rouge. During his first 17 years of practice, he was active in both local and state bar associations serving as President of the St. Mary Parish Bar Association and as a member of the LSBA House Delegates from 1983 until 1995. In 1990, he extended his volunteer service to the legal profession by becoming one of the first lawyer hearing committee members in the then newly created Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board. After serving as a lawyer member and chair of the hearing committee for four years, Mr. Plattsmier was offered and he accepted a position as a board member on the Disciplinary Board where he served for two years. On February 1, 1996 he became the Chief Disciplinary Counsel for the State of Louisiana and today stands as the longest serving Chief Counsel under the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board. Mr. Plattsmier has authored amendments to both the Rules of Professional Conduct as well as Supreme Court Rule 19, was a member of the Ethics 2000 Committee which updated and amended Louisiana’s ethics rules, and has served on countless committees of both the Louisiana Supreme Court and the Louisiana State Bar Association. He is a prolific speaker having provided over 400 lectures and presentations on ethics and professionalism nationally and across the state. He was a 2002 nominee for the ABA Michael Franck Professional Responsibility Award for outstanding contributions to the field of Professional Responsibility.