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

De c id e d: Oc to b e r 5 , 2 0 1 5

S 1 5 Y1 4 3 3 . IN THE MATTER OF TONY L. AXAM.

P ER CURIAM.

Th is d isc ip lin a ry m a t t e r is b e fo re th e Co u rt o n th e re p ort a n d

re c o m m e n d a tio n o f th e sp e c ia l m a ste r, 1 wh o re c o m m e n d s th a t we a c c e p t th e

p e titio n of To n y L. A x a m (S ta te Ba r No

. 0 2 9 7 2 5 ) fo r v o lu n ta ry su rre n d e r o f h is

lic e n se to p ra c tic e la w. In th a t p e titio n

, Ax a m a d m its th a t h e a g re e d in 2 0 1 0 to

a c t a s a “ p a y m a ste r” fo r a c lie n t, a ro le fo r wh ic h h e wa s p a id $ 5

, 0 0 0 fo r e a c h

tra n sa c tio n th a t h e fa c ilita te d

. On Au gu st 5 , 2 0 1 0 , an o th e r in d iv id u a l — a t th e

d ire c tio n o f Ax a m ’s c lie n t

— d ire c te d a wire tra n sfe r o f $ 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 t o w h a t h e

b e lie v e d wa s Ax a m ’s tru st a c c o u n t; in fa c t, th e m o n e y w a s wire d to Ax a m ’s

o p e ra tin g a c c o u n t. A t th a t tim e

, A x a m did no t m a in ta in a tru st a c c ou nt, a n d h e

g e n e ra lly u se d h is o p e ra tin g a c c o u n t to h a n d le th e b u sin e ss o f his la w p ra c tic e

,

a s we ll a s p e rso n a l fu nd s. A fe w d a y s a fte r Ax a m re c ei v e d t h e fu n d s, h e

d isb u rse d th e m

a c c ord in g to th e in stru c tio ns o f h is c lie n t, re ta in in g $5 ,0 0 0 fo r

1 Th is Co u rt a

p po in te d Dan ie l J. Qu in n a s sp e c ia l m a ste r in th is m a tte r.h im se lf a s his tra n sa c tio n f e e

. A l t h o u gh th e in d iv id u a l wh o h a d d ire c te d th e

tra n sfe r to Ax a m sp e c ific a lly re q u e ste d th a t h e b e n o tifie d o f th e d isb urse m e n t

o f th e fu n d s, Ax a m

fa ile d to n o tify h im . Th a t in d iv id u a l la te r c o nta c te d Ax a m

a n d re p e a te dly re q u e ste d do c u m e n ta tio n o f th e d isb u rse m e nt, b u t Ax a m fa ile d

to pro v id e a n a c c ou ntin g o r o th e rwise to d o c u m e n t th e d isb u rse m e nt o f th e

fu n d s u n til a fte r th e in d iv idu a l file d a g rie v a n c e

. A x a m ha s a d m itte d th a t h e d id

n o t re a d th e te rm s o f th e tra din g p la tfo rm c o n tra c t in c o n n e c tio n with wh ic h h e

w a s se rv in g a s “ p a

y m a ste r,” th a t h e d id n o t k n o w th e n a tu re o f th e b u sin e ss

d e a lin g s b e twe e n h is c lie n t a n d th e o th e r in d i v i d u a l

, a n d th a t h e a sk e d n o

q u e stio n s a

b o u t th e tra n sa c tio n th a t h e fa c ilita te d

. Alth o u g h Ax a m n ote d th a t th e

d isb u rse m e n t in stru c tio n s fro m h is c lie n t c a m e b y a n e -m a il th a t re fe rre d to h is

c lie n t b y a d iffe re n t n a m e th a n th a t b y w h i ch h e k n e w h e r, h e sa y s th a t h e

a ssu m e d th a t th e o th e r n a m e wa s ju st a tra d e n a m e fo r h is c lie n t. By th e se a c ts,

Ax a m a d m its th a t h e v io la te d Ru le s 1 .1 5 (I) a n d ( I I ) o f th e Ge o rg ia Ru le s o f

P ro fe ssio n a l Co n d u c t, v io la tio n s th a t su b je c t a la wy e r to d isb a rm e n t.

We g ra n t th e p e titio n a n d a c c e p t th e v o lu n ta ry su rre n d e r o f Ax a m ’s

lic e n se to p ra c tic e la w

, wh ic h is ta n ta m o u n t to d isb a rm e n t. Ac c o rd in g ly

, th e

n a m e o f To n y L. Ax a m is h e re b y re m o v e d fro m th e ro lls o f p e rso n s e ntitle d to

2p ra c tic e la w in Ge org ia

. Ax a m is re m in d e d o f h is d u tie s un d e r Ba r Ru le 4 -2 1 9

(c ).

Vo lu n ta ry su rre nd e r o f lic e n se a c c e pte d . All th e Ju stic e s c o n c u r.

3