Disciplinary History

Birmingham attorney Stephen Judson Bailey was disbarred from the practice of law in the State of Alabama by Order of the Supreme Court of Alabama, effective September 26, 2020. The Supreme Court entered its order based upon the November 18, 2019, Order of Panel I of the Disciplinary Board of the Alabama State Bar. Formal charges were filed against Bailey on September 17, 2019. The summons and formal charges were served on Bailey by Sheriff on October 7, 2019. Bailey failed to file an answer to the formal charges. On November 7, 2019, the Office of General Counsel filed a Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law pursuant to Rule 12(e)(1), Alabama Rules of Disciplinary Procedure. On November 18, 2019, the Disciplinary Board issued an order granting the Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law. As such the charges were deemed admitted as a matter of law.

Daleville attorney Charles Neville Reese was suspended from the practice of law in the State of Alabama by order of the Alabama Supreme Court for a period of ninety (90) days, to run from September 13 through December 12, 2020. The Supreme Court entered its order based on the Report and Order issued by Panel III of the Disciplinary Board suspending Reese for violating Rule 8.4(g), Ala. R. Prof. C., based on his failure to satisfy his personal and professional tax obligations.

Birmingham attorney James Flint Liddon, III. was suspended from the practice of law for a period of three (3) years in the State of Alabama by the Supreme Court of Alabama, effective September 9, 2020. The Supreme Court entered its order based upon the Disciplinary Commission’s acceptance of Liddon’s Conditional Guilty Plea, wherein Liddon pled guilty to violating Rules 1.4 [Communication], 1.5 [Fees], 1.15 [Safekeeping] and 8.4(c), (d), and (g) [Misconduct], Ala. R. Prof. C. Liddon voluntarily admitted that he had previously misappropriated client funds.

Montgomery attorney, Connie J. Morrow, was previously suspended from the practice of law in the State of Alabama for a period of ninety (90) days, of which she was required to serve forty-five (45) days, and placed on probation for two (2) years. On August 24, 2020, the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar entered an order revoking Morrow’s probation and ordered her to serve the remaining forty-five (45) days of her suspension. On October 2, 2020, the Alabama Supreme Court entered an order suspending Morrow from the practice of law, effective September 8 through October 23, 2020, and transferred her to inactive status effective September 8, 2020.

Montgomery attorney, Connie J. Morrow, was transferred to inactive status effective September 8, 2020, by Order of the Supreme Court of Alabama. The Supreme Court entered its Order based upon the September 11, 2020 Order of Panel II of the Disciplinary Board of the Alabama State Bar in response to Morrow’s petition submitted to the Disciplinary Board requesting she be transferred to inactive status.

On July 15, 2020, the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar issued a private reprimand to an attorney for violating Rules 1.2 [Scope of Representation], 1.7 [Conflict of Interest: General Rule], 1.9 [Conflict of Interest: Former Client] and 1.10, [Imputed Disqualification: General Rule], Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. On September 14, 2016, the attorney’s law partner was retained to file a Petition for Guardianship/Conservatorship over the client’s mother. On February 14, 2017, the probate court granted the petition and named the client guardian/conservator over the client’s mother. The matter was left open by the court because the court ordered the client to submit annual reports to the court concerning the condition of the mother and to file an annual accounting. The attorney’s law partner remained counsel of record for the client until he filed a motion to withdraw on February 15, 2018. The motion to withdraw was granted on March 2018. On February 19, 2019, the attorney was hired by a long-standing client to file an arbitration demand against the mother and to pursue a monetary judgment. The client as conservator/guardian for the mother had failed to pay the facility for the mother’s care and stay. At the time the attorney’s law partner undertook representation of the long-standing client (the facility caring for the mother), the client who was conservator/guardian was a former client of the firm. The client’s failure to pay for the mother’s care was substantially related to her role as guardian/conservator, a matter in which the attorney’s law partner previously represented the client. On August 16, 2019, the client rehired the attorney’s law partner to represent her in the guardianship/conservator and to appear on her behalf regarding the annual accounting. At the time the attorney’s law partner was unaware the attorney was representing the facility in the matter adverse to the client and her mother. The law partner and the attorney failed to obtain a waiver of conflict from either the client or the facility. On September 9, the attorney’s law partner discovered the attorney’s law partner was representing the client on the “guardian/conservatorship.” As a result, on the day of arbitration, the attorney had the client sign a “Statement Concerning Limited Scope Representation.” In the statement – prepared by the attorney – the client stated she hired the attorney’s law partner for the limited purpose of representing her at a status conference in the probate matter and that the attorney’s law partner no longer represented the client as guardian/conservator. The attorney had the client agree to limited scope representation, after the fact, in violation of Rule 1.2, Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. On December 30, 2019, the attorney’s law partner received a notice from the probate court setting another hearing on January 23, 2020. The attorney’s law partner forwarded a copy of the notice to the client

On July 15, 2020, the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar issued a private reprimand to an attorney for violating Rules 1.2 [Scope of Representation], 1.7 [Conflict of Interest: General Rule], 1.9 [Conflict of Interest: Former Client] and 1.10, [Imputed Disqualification: General Rule], Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. On September 14, 2016, the attorney was retained to file a Petition for Guardianship/Conservatorship over the client’s mother. On February 14, 2017, the probate court granted a petition and named the client guardian/conservator over the client’s mother. The matter was left open by the court because the court ordered the client to submit annual reports to the court concerning the condition of the mother and to file an annual accounting. The attorney remained counsel of record for the client until he filed a motion to withdraw on February 15, 2019, which was granted on March 2018. On February 19, 2018, the attorney’s law partner was hired by a long-standing client to file an arbitration demand against the mother and to pursue a monetary judgment. The client as conservator/guardian for the mother had failed to pay the facility for the mother’s care and stay. At the time the law partner undertook representation of the long-standing client (the facility caring for the mother), the client who was conservator/guardian was a former client of the firm. The client’s failure to pay for the mother’s care was substantially related to her role as guardian/conservator, a matter in which the attorney previously represented the client. On August 16, 2019, the client rehired the attorney to represent her in the guardianship/conservator and to appear on her behalf regarding the annual accounting. At the time the attorney was unaware his law partner was representing the facility in the matter adverse to the client and her mother. The attorney and the law partner failed to obtain a waiver of conflict from either the client or the facility. On September 9, the law partner discovered the attorney was representing the client on the guardian/conservatorship. As a result, on the day of arbitration, the law partner had the client sign a “Statement Concerning Limited Scope Representation.” In the statement – prepared by the law partner – the client stated she hired the attorney for the limited purpose of representing her at a status conference in the probate matter and that the attorney no longer represented the client as guardian/conservator. The law partner had the client agree to limited scope representation, after the fact, in violation of Rule 1.2, Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. On December 30, 2019, the attorney received a notice from the probate court setting another hearing on January 23, 2020. The attorney forwarded a copy of the notice to the client and had his assistant schedule an appointment with the client to review the required annual accounting. The client provided the accounting to the attorney pri

Gadsden attorney John Davis McCord was interimly suspended from the practice of law in the State of Alabama pursuant to Rules 8(e) and 20(a), Ala. R. Disc. P., by order of the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar, effective August 27, 2020. The Disciplinary Commission’s order was based on a petition filed by the Office of General Counsel wherein it argued McCord engaged in continuing conduct causing serious injury to his client by commingling client and personal monies and routinely failing to deposit unearned fees in his IOLTA trust account. Moreover, McCord was arrested and charged with multiple counts of felony theft by deception. McCord consented to the interim suspension. [Rule 20(a), Pet. No. 2020-716]

Athens attorney Douglas Lee Patterson was interimly suspended from the practice of law in the State of Alabama, effective August 12, 2020. The Supreme Court entered its order based upon the Disciplinary Commission’s Order finding Patterson’s conduct is continuing in nature and is causing, or likely to cause, immediate and serious injury to a client and/or to the public. Patterson was recently indicted in the Circuit Court of Limestone County in a three-count indictment charging him with Use of Official Position or Office for Personal Gain, Financial Exploitation of the Elderly in the First Degree, and Theft of Property in the Third Degree.

A former Mobile attorney was issued a public reprimand without general publication on August 11, 2020, as ordered by the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar, for violating Rules 5.3 [Responsibilities Regarding Nonlawyer Assistants] and 5.4 [Profession Independence of a Lawyer], Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. The attorney failed to properly supervise a non-lawyer employee of his law group, which was formerly located in Mobile, Alabama, after he moved to the State of Ohio. In doing so, the attorney failed to make reasonable efforts to ensure that the non-lawyer employee’s conduct was compatible with the professional obligations of a lawyer. In addition, the attorney improperly shared legal fees with the non-lawyer employee.

On August 11, 2020, the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar issued a private reprimand to an attorney for violating Rules 8.4(c), (d), and (g) [Misconduct], Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. In April of 2014, the attorney was contacted by a current client regarding a prospective loan he was making to an individual. The client had previously made a loan to the individual that she had failed to repay. The client hired the attorney to prepare a promissory note and mortgage for an additional loan the client was preparing to make to the individual. The promissory note and mortgage would include the amount owed on the prior loan and the amount owed on the subsequent loan. The collateral for the loan was to be property owned by the individual. When the attorney reviewed the title to the property, the attorney discovered the property was owned by the individual and her then husband, jointly. At the time of the loan, the individual and her then husband were married, but later divorced. The attorney prepared a promissory note and mortgage requiring the signature of both the individual and her ex-husband. The attorney subsequently signed as the notary on the promissory note and mortgage attesting that both the individual and her ex-husband had personally signed the documents in her presence. In 2016, the attorney was contacted by the client and was hired to foreclose on the property after the loan was not repaid. The attorney sent a certified letter to both the individual and her ex-husband notifying them of the pending foreclosure. The ex-husband contacted the attorney and informed her that he never signed the promissory note or mortgage and was unaware of the loan. The ex-husband informed the attorney he would sue her if the mortgage was not released. The attorney and her client subsequently agreed to release the mortgage. In May of 2019, the client sued the individual in order to collect on the promissory note. The ex-husband of the individual was not a party to the suit. During the court proceedings, the client admitted, under oath, to forging the signature of her ex-husband. The attorney was unable to recall whether the documents were signed in front of her. However, the attorney later admitted, most likely, that the promissory note and mortgage were returned to her office by the individual already signed and that she notarized the documents after the fact.

Nashville, Tennessee attorney Kristin Ashlee Forbes, who is also licensed in Alabama, surrendered her license on October 6, 2020. Forbes was issued a Show Cause Order on June 16, 2020 for non-compliance with the 2019 MCLE requirements. On August 4, 2020, Forbes responded to the Show Cause Order voluntarily surrendering her license to practice law in the State of Alabama. The Supreme Court entered its order based upon the Disciplinary Commission’s order accepting Forbes surrender of her license to practice law in the State of Alabama effective August 10, 2020.

The Alabama Supreme Court issued an order suspending Greenville attorney Heather Leigh Friday Boone from the practice of law in Alabama for a period of two years, effective August 9, 2020. The Supreme Court entered its order based upon the Disciplinary Board’s Order, wherein the Board found Boone guilty of violating Rules 1.3 [Diligence], 1.4(a) [Communication], 1.16(d) [Declining or Terminating Representation], and 8.4(g) [Misconduct], Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. In April 2017, a client retained Boone to file an uncontested divorce. The client paid Boone a total of $895, and the client and his wife signed all of the necessary paperwork. Thereafter, the client repeatedly attempted to contact Boone between May 2017 and August 2018 for a status update but Boone failed to return the client’s telephone calls. In August 2018, the client and his wife learned Boone never filed the uncontested divorce. To date, Boone has failed to communicate with the client or refund any portion of the fee. After receiving the client’s complaint, the Alabama State Bar repeatedly ordered Boone to file a written response to the bar complaint, which she failed to do so.

The Alabama Supreme Court issued an order suspending Clanton attorney Angie Avery Mayfield from the practice of law in Alabama for a period of ninety-one (91) days, effective August 6, 2020. The Supreme Court entered its order based on Mayfield’s consent to the revocation of her probation. On October 30, 2018, the Disciplinary Commission ordered that Mayfield be suspended from the practice of law in the State of Alabama for a period of ninety-one (91) days, with the suspension to be held in abeyance. Mayfield was placed on a two (2) year probationary period, effective October 30, 2018. On January 21, 2020, the Office of General Counsel filed a Petition to Revoke Probation, requesting the Disciplinary Commission revoke Mayfield’s probation. The Bar’s Petition to Revoke Probation was based on Mayfield violating the terms of her probation by committing additional violations of the Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. On July 7, 2020, Mayfield consented to the revocation of her probation. The Disciplinary Commission subsequently issued an Order on July 7, 2020, revoking Mayfield’s probation and imposing the ninety-one (91) day suspension.

Huntsville, Alabama attorney Williams Joseph Gibbons, licensed in Alabama, was suspended from the practice of law in the State of Alabama by the Supreme Court of Alabama, effective July 31, 2020. The Supreme Court entered its order based upon the Disciplinary Commission’s order that Gibbons be suspended for failing to comply with the 2018 Mandatory Continuing Legal Education requirements of the Alabama State Bar.