Both Sides Now

The Georgia Supreme Court imposed disbarment of an attorney who defaulted on charges of ethical misconduct.

The attorney lives in the Virgin Islands and failed to show up twice for scheduled depositions. The State Bar viewed proceeding by teleconference to be “cost prohibitive.”

The underlying allegations involved the attorney handling of a divorce for a retired military officer who had lived overseas for a decade. The attorney retained local counsel and filed in North Carolina, which had no jurisdiction.

The local counsel learned that the attorney had a conflict of interest, having peviously represented the client’s wife on related matters. The attorney did not withdraw despite the apparent conflict and tried to refile the case in South Carolina.  (Mike Frisch)