Disciplinary History

On October 7, 2016, the attorney received a private reprimand and was instructed to pay a $750 administrative fee pursuant to Rule 33, Ala. R. Disc. P., for violating Rule 1.8(e), Ala. R. Prof. C. In the course of representing a client in multiple matters, the respondent attorney provided substantial financial assistance to the client in connection with the corresponding litigation whereas none of the exceptions set forth in Rule 1.8(e), Ala. R. Prof. C., were applicable for said financial assistance.

The attorney was suspended from the practice of law by Notation of the Supreme Court on October 26, 2016 effective October 3, 2016 until January 1, 2017. The Supreme Court entered its notation based on the September 29, 2016 order entered by the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar accepting the attorney'conditional guilty plea wherein she admitted she failed or refused to respond completely to direct questions relating to someone signing her name on immigration forms while sharing office space with an attorney, prior to that attorney's disbarment. The attorney admitted her name was on a government immigration form although she denied to the Office of General Counsel she practiced immigration law and she also admitted she knew the other attorney and/or his staff had access to her clients’ files. The attorney hereby violated Rules 8.1(b) and 8.4(a) and 8.4(g) Ala. R. Prof. C.

The attorney was disbarred from the practice of law, pursuant to Rule 23, Ala. R. Disc. P., in the State of Alabama by order of the Supreme Court of Alabama, effective September 30, 2016. The Supreme Court entered its order based on the Disciplinary Board’s order accepting the attorney's Consent to Disbarment, wherein the attorney admitted to misappropriating client funds.

On May 2, 2016, the Disciplinary Commission determined the attorney should receive a public reprimand with general publication and pay a $750 administrative fee for violating Rules 1.2, 1.4(b) 1.5(b), 1.15(a), and 8.4(a), (c), and (g), Ala. R. Prof. C. The attonrey entered into a contract to represent a client in an employment matter and was paid $7,000. This contract included a clause stating the fee was non-refundable. Additionally, the atorney failed to obtain the required written consent from the client regarding his limited scope of representation and failed to properly explain the limited scope of the representation in the corresponding appeal and in connection with another related matter. The attorney violated Rules 1.2 and 1.4(b), Ala. R. Prof. C., as he failed to obtain the required written consent for the limited scope representation and failed to explain the matter to the extent reasonably necessary to permit the client to make informed decisions regarding the representation. Additionally, the attorney violated Rule 1.5, Ala. R. Prof. C., as the contract contained a clause stating the fee was non-refundable. Moreover, with this conduct, the attorney violated Rule 1.15(a), Ala. R. Prof. C., by depositing the $7000 fee directly into his operating account. Finally, the attorney violated Rules 8.4(a), (c), and (g), Ala. R. Prof. C., by violating a rule of professional conduct and engaging in conduct which was dishonest and adversely reflects on his fitness to practice law.

The attorney was issued a public reprimand with general publication on September 16, 2016, for violations of Rules 1.3, 1.4(a) and 1.5(a), Ala. R. Prof. C. The attorney also was placed on 2-years probation. In an estate matter, the attorney did not file the will for probate for ten months until threatened by contempt of court. The attorney was sued in another matter & a judgment was entered against the attorney.

The attorney was disbarred from the practice of law in the State of Alabama by order of the Supreme Court of Alabama, effective September 16, 2016. The Supreme Court entered its order following affirmance of an appeal filed by the attorney to the Supreme Court, that he violated Rules 1.4(a), 1.15(a), (b) and (n), 8.1(b) and 8.4(a) and (g), Ala. R. Prof C. The Supreme Court’s order affirmed the Disciplinary Board’s order of disbarment filed on June 2, 2015, finding the attorney guilty of misappropriating client funds.

The attorney was suspended from the practice of law in the State of Alabama for a period of eight (8) months by Order of the Supreme Court of Alabama, effective September 9, 2016. The Supreme Court entered its order based upon the Disciplinary Commission’s acceptance of the attorney's Conditional Guilty Plea, wherein the attorney pled guilty to violating Rules 1.15(a), (e), and (n) and 1.16(d), Ala. R. Prof. C. The attorney failed to place unearned fees in trust and failed to return those unearned fees to the clients upon his termination.

The attorney was interimly suspended from the practice of law, pursuant to Rule 20, Ala. R. Disc. P., in the State of Alabama by the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar, effective August 29, 2016, after the attorney was found to have mismanaged her trust account, which resulted in missing and unaccounted for funds.

The attorney was summarily suspended from the practice of law, pursuant to Rule 20, Ala. R. Disc. P., in the State of Alabama by the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar, effective August 17, 2016, for failing to respond to formal requests for a written response concerning a disciplinary matter. The Disciplinary Commission’s order was based on a Petition for Summary Suspension filed by the Office of General Counsel of the Alabama State Bar.

The attorney was ordered by the Supreme Court of Alabama on September 15, 2016, to receive reciprocal discipline of a ninety (90) day suspension from the practice of law, pursuant to Rule 25, Ala. R. Disc. P., in the State of Alabama, effective August 6, 2016 through November 4, 2016, followed by two (2) years of probation. The Supreme Court’s order was based upon the Disciplinary Board of the Alabama State Bar’s order requesting that the attorney receive identical discipline as that imposed by the Supreme Court of another State, wherein the attorney was found to have violated the following Rules Regulating the other State's Bar: 4-1.1, 4-1.3, 4-1.4, 4-1.16(a), 4-3.2, 4-4.1, 4-5.4, 4-5.5, 4-8.1, 4-8.4(a), (c), and (d),. The attorney was found to have assisted a disbarred attorney in the unauthorized practice of law from 2007 – 2009.

On July 15, 2016, the attorney was issued a private reprimand for violating Rules 1.3 and 1.4(b), Ala. R. Prof. C. The attorney was hired in May of 2015 to represent a client to investigate if she should seek an increase in child support. The attorney suggested to the client that he could obtain current financial information from the client’s ex-husband in order to determine whether it would be feasible to take her ex-husband back to court. The client paid a fee of $500.00. After paying the attorney, the client heard nothing further from him until she left a message threatening to file a bar complaint. The client subsequently filed a bar complaint against the attorney. In the attorney’s response to the complaint, he admitted that he failed to finish the work requested by the client. After receiving the notice of the complaint, the attorney refunded the client the $500.00 fee plus ten percent.

On 7/15/16, the attorney was issued a private reprimand for violating Rules 1.4(b) & 1.6, Ala. R. Prof. C. In the fall of 2013, the attorney began assisting a long-time client and one of his companies in relation to a purchase of property. The attorney's representation & involvement began after environmental concerns arose about the property. The client had initially been represented by another attorney at a different firm. The client was dissatisfied with the representation he received from the other attorney & was contemplating a legal malpractice action against the other attorney and/or his firm. In June of 2014, the attorney decided to leave his firm & join the firm with which his client’s previous lawyer was affiliated. However, the attorney failed to obtain the client’s acknowledgement & agreement that all of the client’s legal files would be stored & shared with the attorney’s new firm. The client later initiated a legal malpractice claim against his former attorney, who is now the attorney's new law partner. Pursuant to a discovery request filed by the client’s malpractice attorney, the attorney's firm delivered all of the client’s files to counsel for his firm and his firm’s law partner, which included confidential documents relating to the attorney’s representation of the client regarding the matter over which the client was now suing his law partner. Prior to the documents being turned over to the firm’s counsel, the attorney had failed to adequately document the client’s agreement & assent to those filed being shared with the firm.

The attorney was disbarred from the practice of law, pursuant to Rule 23, Ala. R. Disc. P., in the State of Alabama by order of the Supreme Court of Alabama, effective June 27, 2016. The Supreme Court entered its order based on the Disciplinary Board’s order accepting the attorney's Consent to Disbarment, after the attorney was convicted in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama for possession of child pornography.

The attorney was suspended from the practice of law in Alabama for a period of three (3) years and ninety (90) days by the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar. The attorney will serve the ninety-day suspension beginning June 15, 2016, while the three-year suspension will be held in abeyance at which time the attorney will be placed on probation, with conditions, for the three-year period. On May 12, 2016, the Supreme Court of Alabama entered a notation of the attorney's suspension. The Supreme Court entered its notation based upon the Disciplinary Commission’s acceptance of the attorney's conditional guilty plea, wherein the attorney pleaded guilty to violating Rules 1.8(a), 5.3, 5.5(a)(2), 8.4(a), and 8.4(g), Ala. R. Prof. C. the attorney admitted he entered into a business transaction with a client and employed a disbarred attorney.

The attorney was interimly suspended from the practice of law, pursuant to Rule 20, Ala. R. Disc. P., in the State of Alabama by order of the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar effective June 8, 2016, after the attorney was arrested and indicted on multiple counts of sex trafficking. The Disciplinary Commission’s order was based on a Petition for Interim Suspension filed by the Office of General Counsel of the Alabama State Bar. The attorney executed an affidavit consenting to the interim suspension.