Topics

On October 14, 2014, Kevin L. Byrd of Cary voluntarily consented to being transferred to disability inactive status.  Byrd suffers from bipolar disorder and depression, two conditions which impair his judgement, competence, and professional performance as an attorney. The procedure for a consensual transfer to disability inactive status is detailed in the North Carolina State Bar’s administrative rules (see Subchapter B, Rule .0118(b)).  Based on clear, cogent, and convincing evidence, the [...]

Christopher V. Vaughan of Hoke County surrendered his law license on August 14, 2014 and was officially disbarred the next day. Vaughan had nine grievances filed against him with the North Carolina State Bar from May 2011 to October 2013. The grievances mainly arose when Vaughan failed to appear in court on behalf of clients who had paid him to represent them in traffic cases. Several clients had their driver’s licenses suspended or revoked without their knowledge due to [...]

Russell W. Warnock of Asheville was censured by the Grievance Committee of the North Carolina State Bar on August 15, 2014. Warnock was retained in 2011 by J.F. to file a patent application. J.F. emailed Warnock in May 2012 to inquire into the status of the application, to which Warnock replied after a long delay that the application was moving forward. In May 2013, Warnock told J.F. in an email that the “patent application is in the queue but needs an updated Inventor statement.” [...]

Karen Wright of Shelby received a reprimand from the Grievance Committee of the North Carolina State Bar on May 22, 2014. Wright was hired by two brothers in 2009 to settle the estates of their parents. She failed to settle the estates in a timely matter, in violation of Rule 1.3 of the North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct. In addition, Wright violated Rule 1.4(a)(3) by failing to keep the beneficiaries informed about the status of the estate and Rule 1.4(a)(4) by failing to promptly [...]