Articles by Campbell Law Observer

Allan De Laine petitioned for reinstatement to the practice of law from his two year suspension.  Mr. De Laine demonstrated by clear, cogent, and convincing evidence that he wound down his law practice, kept the Membership Department of the State Bar informed of his current location and contact information, accepted all certified mail from the State Bar, responded to all letters of notice and requests for information by the State Bar, complied with his continuing legal education and membership [...]

Matthew Ragaller surrendered his law license and was disbarred for misappropriating funds, using entrusted funds for the benefit of one other than the legal owner, and filing false and inaccurate accountings with the Clerk of Court.  Ragaller was disbarred from the practice of law with the opportunity to petition for reinstatement after five years. Trouble viewing? Click here to download the order (PDF, [...]

Edward McVey surrendered his law license and was disbarred for knowingly and intentionally creating fictitious documents that purported to show he maintained liability coverage when he did not to be an approved closing attorney, submitting false documents, and making other such false statements and documents regarding his qualifications.  His actions constituted engaging in criminal acts by obtaining property by false pretenses that reflect poorly on his honesty, trustworthiness, and fitness [...]

In January 2015, the Grievance Committee reprimanded Eric Ellison for not appearing in court for a client and not representing a client he had indicated he would represent.  There were other miscellaneous issues with Ellison’s handling of his client’s case including stating he did not miss a court date, when he did, not responding to the deadline given by the State Bar deputy counsel, etc.  Ellison was required to pay a $350.00 fine. Trouble viewing? Click here to download the order (PDF, [...]

Kenneth Free was reprimanded in June 2014 for neglecting to file a notice of appeal on his client’s behalf.  Free admitted to this neglect, and as such, reprimanded and ordered to provide evidence that he has completed eight (8) hours of continuing legal education courses in the specific area of federal criminal practice offered in or presented by the Federal Defender for the Middle District or otherwise approved by the State Bar. GDE Error: Error retrieving file – if necessary turn [...]

In December 2014, a Hearing Panel conducting a hearing of Peter Paul and suspended him from the practice of law with his suspension stayed for one year as long as he met multiple conditions.  Paul created inaccurate ledgers to clients providing for misleading of clients and the State Bar with regard to client entrusted funds.  He failed to maintain and mange entrusted funds, communicate with clients regarding the status of their funds for over a year, and failed to properly disburse entrusted [...]

In April 2014, Wilbur Linton surrendered his license to practice law and was disbarred by the North Carolina State Bar.  In March 2013, he was found having not properly managed his trust account, and his suspension was stayed pending multiple conditions.  However, his suspension was activated because he did not comply with the conditions of the stay.  He further abandoned his clients and did not respond to the State Bar during the time period of the stay. Trouble viewing? Click here to [...]

On January 23, 2014 the Grievance Committee of the North Carolina State Bar met to consider a grievance filed against Ronald E. Cooley by a former client. The Grievance Committee issue a censure after finding that Cooley: (1) failed to attend a deposition in violation of Rule 1.3, (2) failed to communicate with his client about opposing party’s discovery requests in violation of Rule 1.4, (3) failed to make a diligent effort to comply with discovery requests in violation of Rule 3.4(d)(2), [...]

Joseph L. Carlton, Jr. was disbarred on September 23, 2014. Carlton voluntarily resigned his license to practice law in North Carolina after pleading guilty to a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1012—knowingly preparing HUD-1 Settlement Statements that did not accurately show the disbursements in certain FHA insured real estate transactions. The Superior Court Judge found that Carlton’s misconduct constitutes grounds for discipline pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 84-28(b)(1) and (2), thus [...]

On October 31, 2007 Ralph T. Bryant filed an affidavit surrendering his license to practice law with the North Carolina State Bar in which he admitted to misappropriating over sixty thousand in client and fiduciary funds to his own use. As a result, he was disbarred by order on November 6, 2007. On March 27, 2014, Bryant filed a petition for reinstatement. On August 22, 2014 the Disciplinary Hearing Panel decided to deny Bryant’s petition for reinstatement. The panel noted that although [...]

On August 15, 2014 William P. Bray received a reprimand from the Grievance Committee of the North Carolina State Bar for violations of the North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct. Bray was retained to represent a client, and during the course of that representation, the Grievance Committee found that he was reckless in his research and reports to the client about the status of the lawsuit, which violated Rule 8.4(d). As a result of this conduct, the Grievance Committee found that Bray did [...]

On June 22, 2014, the Disciplinary Hearing Commission (DHC) of the North Carolina State Bar suspended William T. Batchelor, II, for violations of the North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct. During the period January 1, 2007 and June 30, 2010, Batchelor had two trust accounts associate with his law practices.  There were several occasions in which Batchelor mishandled the trust accounts including: (1) failing to identify the source and name of the client or other person to whom the funds [...]