In th e S u p re m e Co u rt o f Ge o rg ia

De c id e d: Ju n e 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

S 1 5 Y 0 8 7 8

. IN THE MATTER OF P ERRIN BOWIE LOVETT.

P ER CURIAM.

T h is d isc ip lin a ry m a tte r is b e fo re th e C o u rt o n a No tic e of D isc i p l i n e

se e k in g th e d isb ar m e n t o f P e rrin Bo wie Lo v e tt (S ta te Ba r No

. 1 41 96 9 ). Th e
S ta te Ba r h a s file d a p ro o f o f se rv ic e sh o win g t h at i t p e rso n a lly se rv e d Lo v e tt

o n M a r c h 2 4 , 2 0 1 5

. As Lo v e tt fa ile d to file a No tic e o f Re je c tio n, h e i s i n
d e fa u lt, h a s wa iv e d h is rig h ts t o a n e v id e n tia ry h e a rin g , a nd is su b je c t to su c h

d isc ip lin e a n d fu rth e r p ro c e e din gs a s m ay b e d e te rm in e d by th is Co u rt. S e e Ba r
Ru le 4 -2 0 8 .1 (b ).

Th e fa c ts, a s d e e m e d a d m itte d b y v irtu e of Lo v e tt’s d e fa u lt, sh o w th a t a

c lie n t p a id Lo v e tt $ 1 ,0 00 to re p re se n t h e r in b e in g a p po in te d a s a d m in istra to r o f

th e es t a t e o f h e r siste r, wh o d ie d in te sta te

. Lo ve tt to ld th e c lie n t th a t it wo u ld

ta k e a t le a st a y e a r to a c c o m p lish h e r g oa l a n d th a t sh e sh o u ld c o n ta c t h im a t th e

e n d o f th a t tim e

. Wh e n th e c lie n t a tte m p te d to c on ta c t Lo v e tt a fte r a y e a r,
h o we v e r, sh e fo u n d th a t h is o ffic e wa s c l o s ed a n d th a t h is p h o n e ha d b e e nd isc o n n e c te d

. F o llo win g h e r e ffo rts to lo c a te Lo v e tt, h e c a lle d h e r a n d to ld h e r

th a t h e wa s n o lo n g e r p ra c tic in g la w, b u t th a t h is p re v io u s la n d lo rd wo u ld

c o m p le te h e r c a se fo r n o a d d itio n a l fe e . Th e c lie n t c o n ta c te d th e la n d lo rd wh o
d e n ie d a n y a g re e m e n t to h a n d le he r c a se

. Lo v e tt fa ile d to re fu n d a ny o f th e fe e
th e c lie n t p a id o r to re tu rn th e c lie nt’s file to h e r, d e sp ite h e r re q ue sts to d o so

. Lo v e tt fa ile d to su b m it a re sp o n se to th e In v e stig a tiv e P ane l in th i s ma tte r. It

a p p e a rs th a t Lo v e tt, wh o is c u rre n tly su sp e n d e d p u r su a n t to Ba r Ru le 4 -2 0 4 .3

a n d fo r fa ilu re to p a

y Ba r d u e s, h a s a

b a n d on e d h is p ra c tic e

. Ba se d o n th e se fa c ts, th e S ta te Ba r c o nte n d s th a t Lo ve tt v io la te d Ru le s 1 .2 , 1 .3 , 1 .4 , 1

. 1 6 , 8 .4 (a ) (4 ), a n d 9

. 3

. o f th e Ru le s o f P ro fe ssio n a l Co n d u c t fo u n d

in Ba r Ru le 4 -1 0 2 (d ). Th e m a x im u m sa n c tio n fo r a v io la tio n o f Ru le s 1 .2 , 1 .3 ,

o r 8

. 4 (a ) (4 ) is d isb a rm e n t, wh ile th e m a x im u m sa n c tio n fo r a v io la tio n of Ru le s
1 .4 , 1 .1 6 , o r 9 .3 is a

p u b lic re p rim a n d

. In su p po rt o f its re q u e st to d isb a r Lo ve tt, th e S ta te Ba r a sse rts th a t h e a c te d

willfu lly a n d d ish o n e stly in a b a nd on in g th e l e g a l ma t te r e n tru ste d to h im a n d

th a t he a c te d willfu lly a n d d ish o n e stly in te llin g his c lie n t th a t a n o th e r a tto rn e y

wo u ld c o m

p le te h e r c a se a t n o e x tra c o st. Th e Ba r no te d th a t Lo ve tt ha s n o p rio r
d isc ip lin a ry h isto ry

. 2Ha v in g re v ie we d th e re c o rd , we a g re e th a t d isb a rm e n t is th e a p p ro p ria te

sa n c tio n . Th e re fo re , it h e re by is o rd e re d th a t th e n a m e o f P e rrin Bo wie Lo v e tt
b e re m o v e d fro m th e ro lls o f p e rso n s a u th o riz e d to p ra c tic e la w in th e S ta te o f

Ge o rg ia . Lo v e tt is re m in d e d o f h is d u tie s p u rsu a n t to Ba r Ru le 4 -2 1 9 (c ).

Disb a rre d . All th e Ju stic e s c o n c u r.

3