Case Title: MEREDITH LYNN LAWRENCE V. KENTUCKY BAR ASSOCIATION

Citation: 

Docket Number: 2017-SC-000519-KB

State: kentucky

Court: Kentucky Supreme Court

Date: 2017-12-14T00:00:00Z

Document:
TO BE PUBLISHED ~upnmt dtnutf nf 1ft:eutudiv 201 7 -S·C-000519-KB MEREDITH LYNN LAWRENCE KBA MEMBER NO·. 40365 v. IN SUPREME COURT KENTUCKY BAR ASSOCIATION OPINION AND.ORDER MOVANT RESPONDENT Pursuant to Supreme Court Rule (SCR) 3.480(2), Movant, Meredith Lynn Lawrence, moves this Court to impose a five-year suspension from the practice of law for his admitted violati~ns of SCR 3. l30(8.~)(b), to b~ applied retroactively to July 6, 2012, the date of his temporary suspension. The K~~tucky Bar Association (KBA) has no objection to the proposed .discipline. Finding this agreed upon discipli~ary sanction to .be app;ropriate under the facts of this case, we grant Movant's motion. Movant's KBA member number is 40365 and his bar roster address is 107 E. High Street, P.O. Box 1330, :Warsaw, ~entucky 41095. KHA FILE 16392 A formal complaint was filed against Movant on December 6, 2011, after he was indicted in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District. of Kentucky for tax fraud for years 2004, 2005,. and 2006. ~suant to SCR 3.166, Movant was temporarily suspended from the practice oflaw·on July 6, 2012, after he was convicted of those charges .. He was sentenced to 27 months but served 24 due to go~d behavior and made full restitution in the amount of $128,000.00. Although M~vant still has some appellate relief pending, he has determined his success is unlikely. . As previously noted,. the KBA has no objection to the proposed discipline, which wa~ negotiated pursuant to SCR 3.480(2). In support,·the KBA'cites several cases in which a sim~lar sanc~on was imposed on attorneys who were. either <:onvicted or pied guilty to tax ·fraud. · ~.g., Sivasubramaniain v. Kentucky Bar Association, 487 S.W.3d 891 (Ky. 2016); and McEnroe v. Kentucky Bar Association, 408 S.W.3d 750 (Ky. 2013). In ~oth of those cases, the amount of restitution ordered was significantly in excess of the $128;000.00 that has been paid by Movant. Accordingly, it is hereby ORDERED that: 1) Movant~ Meredith Lynn Lawrence, KBA Member No. 40365, is ·suspended from the practice of law in the Commonwealth of Kentucky for five ye0!S to be applied retroactively to July 6, 2012'; effective upon the date of entry of this order~ pending further orders of this Court; 2) Movant shall timely satisfy_ all continuing legal education requ~ements; 3) Movant shall tiniely pay his KBA member dues; and 2 4) Pursuant to SCR 3.450,-Movant is directed to pay all costs associated with these· disciplinary proceedings. All sitting. All concur. . ENTERED: December 14, 2017. c 3