The Supreme Court of Georgia has revoked an attorney’s license to practice law in Georgia. The lawyer represented a client in a personal injury action and negotiated a settlement in the amount of $30,000. The defendants disbursed the settlement to the attorney, who deposited the check into his personal account and absconded with the money. When the client never received the settlement funds and was unable to contact the attorney, he sought and obtained another payment from the defendants. The defendants were also unable to locate the attorney and notified the Georgia State Bar of his conduct.
A disciplinary complaint issued, but the attorney again failed to respond. For the above reasons, the Supreme Court of Georgia found that the attorney had wrongfully commingled funds, in violation of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct, Rules 1.15(II)(a) and 8.4(a)(4), and revoked his license to practice law.
Decision: In the Matter of Henry Lamar Willis
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