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Clarke Wittstruck failed on multiple occasions to maintain, manage, and handle client funds.  Wittstruck neglected client matters and communications, which caused his clients to suffer legal consequences, such as arrest.  He changed the handling of his firm, and in the transition period, operated without support staff and accepted more work than he was able to handle.  Wittstruck has been previously disciplined for other instances.  The State Bar hearing committee suspended Wittstruck’s [...]

James Thompson, III, mishandled client funds and allowed non-attorney staff to prepare documents and write checks for closings, resulting in irregularities which harmed clients.  These irregularities resulted in clients’ failure to collect earnest money deposits, unreasonable closing costs to client, which Thompson could not explain, and inaccurate reflection of ledgers.  He also used trust account funds for personal affairs, but when he realized shortfalls in his trust account, he [...]

Laura Johnson intermingled client funds with personal funds and operating funds within the same trust account.  She also paid fees and payments to the Clerk of Court using funds that had been deposited into the account for other purposes.  Johnson failed to reconcile her trust account, refund clients, and supervise the disbursement of client funds.  She used trust account funds to pay client expenses and personal bills.  After a hearing of the North Carolina State Bar, Johnson’s law [...]

Keith Henry was the staff attorney for Southern Financial Services until 2011.  Henry established a living trust for a South Carolina couple, clients of Southern Financial Services, while he was not licensed to practice law in South Carolina.  Henry continued to provide document review for clients of the company, some of whom who were residents of states in which Henry was not licensed to practice law.  A federal criminal investigation of Southern Financial Services was conducted.  Henry [...]

On January 30, 2015, a hearing was conducted to consider Robert Brown, Jr.’s potential reinstatement to practice law after satisfying all requirements for reinstatement from his five-year suspension entered in 2009.  Brown received psychiatric evaluations from two separate, State Bar-approved psychiatrists, who certified that Brown does not suffer from any conditions that would creation a predisposition for sexual misconduct.  Further, Brown has paid all costs, responded to all [...]

On October 22, 2014, L. Pendleton Hayes filed an affidavit of surrender of license at the North Carolina State Bar. Based upon this affidavit, the Council of the North Carolina State Bar found that Hayes misappropriated in excess of $400,000 of entrusted funds and engaged in fraudulent bank transactions in violation of Rules 8.4(b) and 8.4(c). View the full disciplinary order below. Trouble viewing? Click here to download the order (PDF, [...]

On October 21, 2014, Freddie Lane, Jr. filed an affidavit of surrender of license at the North Carolina State Bar. Based upon this affidavit, the Council of the North Carolina State Bar found that Lane misappropriated at least $500,000 of entrusted funds and failed to file and pay income taxes in violation of Rule 8.4(b) and 8.4(c). View the full disciplinary order below. Trouble viewing? Click here to download the order (PDF, [...]