On January 18, 2022, the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar issued a private reprimand to an attorney for violating Rules 1.3 [Diligence], 1.4 [Communication] and 8.4(d) [Misconduct], Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. In 2014, the attorney was hired to probate an estate. The estate only had two heirs, and neither were able to be bonded as the administrator of the estate. As a result, and by agreement with one of the heirs, an associate with the attorney’s firm as was appointed as administrator of the estate. Thereafter, a petition for sale of real property was filed on October 10, 2014, and granted on November 20, 2014. No further action was taken on the estate until after a complaint was filed by one of the heirs in 2020. In November 2014, the associate appointed as administrator left the firm. After the associate’s departure there was no further activity in the case. When the heir contacted the firm, the attorney insisted that the associate was solely responsible for handling the estate as the administrator. As a result, no action was taken on behalf of the estate in violation of Rules 1.3 [Diligence], 1.4 [Communication], and 8.4(d) [Misconduct], Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct.

Huntsville attorney Patrick Allen Jones was disbarred from the practice of law in the State of Alabama by order of the Alabama Supreme Court, effective January 10, 2022. The Supreme Court entered its order based on the Disciplinary Board’s order accepting Jones’s Consent to Disbarment, wherein Jones commingled personal and client funds. Moreover, Jones assisted a client in creating sham transactions to hide assets.

Huntsville attorney Patrick Allen Jones was disbarred from the practice of law in the State of Alabama by order of the Alabama Supreme Court, effective January 10, 2022. The Supreme Court entered its order based on the Disciplinary Board’s order accepting Jones’s Consent to Disbarment, wherein Jones commingled personal and client funds. Moreover, Jones assisted a client in creating sham transactions to hide assets.

Huntsville attorney Patrick Allen Jones was disbarred from the practice of law in the State of Alabama by order of the Alabama Supreme Court, effective January 10, 2022. The Supreme Court entered its order based on the Disciplinary Board’s order accepting Jones’s Consent to Disbarment, wherein Jones commingled personal and client funds. Moreover, Jones assisted a client in creating sham transactions to hide assets.

Huntsville attorney Patrick Allen Jones was disbarred from the practice of law in the State of Alabama by order of the Alabama Supreme Court, effective January 10, 2022. The Supreme Court entered its order based on the Disciplinary Board’s order accepting Jones’s Consent to Disbarment, wherein Jones' consented to disbarment based on allegations he commingled personal and client funds. Moreover, Jones is alleged to have assisted a client in creating sham transactions to hide assets.

On January 5, 2022, the Disciplinary Commission issued a private reprimand to an attorney for violating Rule 8.4(g), Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. The attorney violated a court order by contacting a person with whom he was involved romantically.

On January 6, 2022, an attorney received a private reprimand for violating Rule 1.2, Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. The attorney was hired to represent an individual as it pertained to a misdemeanor charge of soliciting prostitution. The attorney’s client also retained the services of an immigration attorney for the purpose of advice and counsel on the effect of the criminal charge on his immigration status. The client’s immigration attorney advised the attorney to make her aware of any agreements with the prosecutor prior to the resolution of his criminal case. The client, who believed the attorney had communicated with his immigration attorney, pleaded guilty to a solicitation charge and received deferred prosecution. Subsequently, the client discovered the attorney failed to advise his immigration attorney of the settlement agreement and its potentially negative impact on his immigration status.

On January 5, 2022, the Disciplinary Commission issued a private reprimand to an attorney for violating Rules 1.1 [Competence], 1.3 [Diligence], and 1.4 [Communication], Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. The attorney was hired to prosecute a medical malpractice claim. The attorney made an erroneous assumption that when his client died five months after he was hired, the medical malpractice claim was extinguished. Moreover, the attorney failed to properly calendar the statute of limitations in Mississippi involving a state entity and failed to properly communicate with his client.

The Alabama Supreme Court issued an order suspending Auburn attorney Samuel Andrea Masdon from the practice of law in Alabama for a period of forty-five days, effective January 1, 2022. The Supreme Court entered its order based upon the Disciplinary Commission’s Order, accepting the Conditional Guilty Plea submitted by Masdon wherein he plead guilty to violating Rules 1.4 [Communication], 1.16 [Declining and Terminating Representation], 5.3 [Responsibilities Regarding Nonlawyer Assistants], 5.5 [Unauthorized Practice of Law] and 8.4(d) [Misconduct], Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. Masdon attempted to assist his father and his father’s paralegal, after his father became ill, with the father’s immigration clients. When necessary, Masdon would attend immigration hearings on his father’s behalf. Masdon believed at the time that he was making a one-time appearance on behalf of his father. Masdon did not intend to undertake representation of the client beyond the hearing. Masdon failed to recognize that, due to his father’s health, the father’s non-lawyer paralegal had essentially taken over his father’s practice and was engaging in the unauthorized practice of law without any oversight by Masdon’s father. By agreeing to appear on Masdon’s father’s behalf, Masdon also enabled the non-lawyer paralegal to engage in the unauthorized practice of law. Masdon also failed to properly notify his father’s clients, the immigration courts, and the Department of Justice of his limited scope of representation.

On August 11, 2021, the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar issued a private reprimand to an attorney for violating Rules 1.3 [Diligence], 1.4 [Communication], and 8.4 (d) [Misconduct], Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. In August 2019, the attorney was hired to file a petition for divorce on behalf of a client. The client paid the attorney a $3,000 retainer. The attorney prepared the petition for divorce, which the client signed and returned to the attorney on August 23, 2019. However, the attorney failed to file the petition and failed to take any other action on behalf of the client. On November 13, 2019, the attorney informed the client that time was taken off for a medical issue but the petition for the divorce would be filed the following week. Thereafter, the attorney failed to file the petition. On January 17, 2020, the attorney again promised the client that to file the divorce petition, but again the attorney failed to do so. On November 30, 2020, the attorney encouraged the client not to hire new counsel and to let them finish the case. The client agreed but the attorney failed to file the petition or take any other action. On January 27, 2021, the client terminated representation after the client’s husband retained his own attorney. The attorney failed to refund any of the client’s retainer after being terminated. As a result, the client filed a bar complaint on March 10, 2021. In response to the complaint, the attorney apologized to the client and refunded the entire $3,000 retainer.

The Alabama Supreme Court issued an order suspending Cullman attorney Stuart Lynn Moore from the practice of law in the State of Alabama for a period of ninety-one (91) days, effective December 13, 2021. The suspension order was based on the Conditional Guilty Plea submitted by Moore, in which Moore voluntarily waived the filing of formal charges and entered a plea of guilty to violating Rules 1.15 [Safekeeping Property], 5.3 [Responsibilities Regarding Non-Lawyer Assistants], and 8.4(g) [Misconduct] Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. For the past six years, Moore’s wife acted as his office manager. As Moore’s office manager, his wife oversaw his trust account and other personal and law office bank accounts. Moore failed to exercise any supervision over his wife’s control over the accounts. As a result, both personal and business funds were repeatedly commingled with client funds in Moore’s trust account over a period of several years. In addition, personal and non-law firm related business expenses were paid directly from Moore’s trust account. Moore also failed to maintain a general ledger and records of deposit for his trust account. However, client funds were not misappropriated.

On October 29, 2021, the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar issued a private reprimand to an attorney for violating Rules 1.3 [Diligence], 1.4 [Communication] and 8.4(d) and (g) [Misconduct], Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. The attorney was retained to file an unopposed Motion to Modify child visitation and child support. The client alleged the attorney failed to properly file the matter and, as a result, the matter was dismissed by the Court. In September 2020, the client again retained the attorney to file a Motion to Modify Custody and Child Support. The client’s daughter had turned 17 and wanted to live with the client. The attorney agreed to represent the client for only $100 as a favor to the client’s employer, a current client of the attorney. On September 29, 2020, the attorney filed a Motion to Modify Custody. At a status hearing in December 2020, the client and her ex-husband agreed to the change in custody and the elimination of her child support obligation as a result. The attorney agreed to draft and file the joint agreement and stipulation with the Court which had previously set the matter for final hearing on April 20, 2021. The attorney did not file the agreement until one day before the final hearing, April 19, 2020. However, the attorney failed to file the required Joint Motion to Modify Custody signed by both parties. After both parties failed to appear for the April 2021 hearing, the Court issued an Order requiring the parties to file the joint motion by May 28, 2021. The attorney failed to comply with the Court’s Order and failed to notify the client of the Court’s Order. As a result, the Court dismissed the matter on June 4, 2021.

On October 29, 2021, the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar issued a private reprimand to an attorney for violating Rules 8.4(d) and (g) [Misconduct], Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. In June 2021, while serving as a municipal court judge, a pro se defendant sought the attorney’s recusal because she intended to sue his son in an unrelated matter. In response, the attorney screamed at and threatened the pro se defendant prior to recusing.

Dadeville attorney Jackson Brett Harrison, was transferred to Inactive Status, effective December 6, 2021. The Supreme Court entered a notation on the Supreme Court of Alabama’s Roll of Attorneys based upon the December 6, 2021, Order of the Disciplinary Board of the Alabama State Bar, in response to Harrison’s petition filed with the Office of General Counsel requesting he be transferred to inactive status.

Dothan attorney Christopher Calvin Reid was transferred to Inactive Status, effective December 6, 2021, by Order of the Supreme Court of Alabama. The Supreme Court entered its Order based upon the December 6, 2021, Order of Panel II of the Disciplinary Board of the Alabama State Bar in response to Reid’s petition filed with the Office of General Counsel requesting he be transferred to inactive status.