Vestavia attorney Thomas Shealer Moore was transferred to Inactive Status, effective October 9, 2020, by Order of the Supreme Court of Alabama. The Supreme Court entered its Order based upon the October 9, 2020 Order of Panel II of the Disciplinary Board of the Alabama State Bar in response to Alabama State Bar’s petition filed with the Disciplinary Board requesting he be transferred to inactive status.

Sulligent attorney Daniel Heath Boman was previously suspended from the practice of law in the State of Alabama for a period of two (2) years, of which he was required to serve ninety (90) days, and placed on probation for two (2) years. On January 24, 2020, the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar entered an order revoking Boman’s probation and imposing the original two (2) year suspension. On September 28, 2020, the Alabama Supreme Court entered an order requiring the two (2) year suspension to run consecutively with an earlier imposed and unrelated two (2) year suspension in ASB No. 2019-162.

Sulligent attorney Daniel Heath Boman was previously suspended from the practice of law in the State of Alabama for a period of two (2) years, of which he was required to serve ninety (90) days, and placed on probation for two (2) years. On January 24, 2020, the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar entered an order revoking Boman’s probation and imposing the original two (2) year suspension. On September 28, 2020, the Alabama Supreme Court entered an order requiring the two (2) year suspension to run consecutively with an earlier imposed and unrelated two (2) year suspension in ASB No. 2019-162.

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 September 2, 2020, the Disciplinary Commission of the Alabama State Bar issued a private reprimand to an attorney for violating Rules 1.3 [Diligence] and 1.4 [Communication], Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct. The attorney agreed to represent a client in a probate matter so that he could collect funds being held by the State of Alabama. The attorney originally prepared the Wills in 1982. The attorney agreed to help the client without payment of an upfront retainer. The attorney initially performed work in a timely manner. However, when the matter became more complicated the attorney ceased work on the matter and ceased communicating with 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’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.