A veteran attorney has been disbarred after a random compliance audit revealed he had knowingly and repeatedly misappropriated client funds by paying settlement proceeds into his business account before disbursing funds to clients.

According to the Disciplinary Review Board’s opinion, Joseph Cicala had maintained a clean disciplinary record since his admission to the New Jersey bar in 1995. Since 2007, Cicala was a solo practitioner in Nutley primarily dealing in matrimonial, estate, and foreclosure matters.