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 15 Y1 7 8 7 . IN THE MATTER OF THOMAS J. F ORD, III.

P ER CURIAM.

Th is d isc ip lin a ry m a tte r is b e fo re th e Co urt o n th e pe titio n fo r v o lu n ta ry

d isc ip lin e file d b y R e sp o n d e n t Th o m a s J. F o rd III (S ta te Ba r No

. 2 6 8 2 3 5 ),

p u rsu a n t to Ba r Ru le 4 -2 2 7 (b ) (2 ), in wh ic h h e s e e ks to re so lv e a p e n d in g

d isc ip lin a ry m a tte r in v o lv in g h is re p re se n ta tio n o f a c lie n t in a m u rd e r c a se

. In

h is p e titio n

, F o rd a d m its th a t his c o n d u c t in th a t c a se v io la te d Ru le s 1.4 an d 1 .1 6

(a ) o f th e Ge o rg ia Ru le s o f Pro fe ssio n a l Co nd uc t, se e B a r Ru le 4 -1 0 2 (d ). Th e

m a x im um sa n c tio n fo r a v io la tio n o f Ru le s 1 .4 an d 1 .1 6 is a p u b lic re prim a n d

.

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, w h o h a s b e e n a

m e m b e r o f th e Ba

r sin c e 1 9 9 6 , a c k n o wle d g e s th a t

h is re p re se n ta tio n wa s in e ffe c tiv e in a c a s e i n wh ic h he re p re se n te d a wo m a n

wh e re sh e a n d h e r d a

u gh te r we re b o th c h a rg e d w ith m urd e r. Th e wo m a n a n d

h e r d a u g h te r h a d re ta in e d a la wy e r to re p re se n t th e m

, b u t, a fte r th e y h a d p a id th e

la wy e r’s fe e

, th e la wy e r wa s re m ov e d b e c a u se o f a c o n flic t. Th e re ta in e d la wy e r

d id n o t re tu rn th e fe e

, h o we v e r, re su ltin g in Fo rd ta k in g th e wo m an ’ s c a se fo ra re d u c e d fe e a n d w ith n o m o n e y fo r e x p e rts. Alth o u gh th e n e e d fo r a fo re n sic

p a th olo g ist wa s c le a r to F o rd

, h e re lie d o n th e d a u gh te r’s c o u rt-a p p o in te d

c o u n se l to o b ta in th e se rv ic e s o f o n e

. F o rd a d m its th a t, wh e n it b e c a m e c le a r

th a t an e x p e rt h a d n o t b e e n re ta in e d

, he sh o uld h a v e c o n su lte d with h is c lie n t

re g a rd in g th e im

pa c t on he r c a se an d m o v e d fo r a c o ntin u an c e so th a t a fo re n sic

p a th olo g ist c o u ld be re ta in e d. F o rd sta te s th a t h e th e re fo re wa s n o t pre pa re d fo r

tria l, wh ic h re su lte d in th e ju ry re tu rn in g a g u ilty v e rd i c t a g a in st h is

c lie n t– a lth o u g h h e r m otio n fo r n e w tria l, p re se n te d b y n e w c o u n se l, h a s b e e n

g ra n te d

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F o rd a c kn o wle d g e s th a t h e re c e iv e d a n In v e stig a tiv e P a n e l re p rim a n d in

S e p te m b e r 2 0 1 4

. I n m itig a tio n

, F ord sta te s th a t, d u rin g th e tim e o f h is

re p re se n ta tio n o f th is c lie n t, he wa s in th e m id st o f th e d isso lu tio n o f h is p rio r

m a rria g e a n d th e b e g in nin g o f h is re la tio n sh ip with th e wo m a n wh o is n o w h is

wife

. I n a d d itio n to th e stre ss a n d distra c tio n c a u se d b y th is situ a tio n

, F o rd

b e g a n to d rin k to e x c e ss, wh ic h le d to a n a rre st fo r DUI. F o rd p le d gu ilty to th e

DUI a n d h a s c o m

p lie d with th e c o n d itio n s o f h is p ro b a tio n

, c h a n g e d h is

b e h a v io r, a n d m e t with a c o u n se lo r, w h o h a s de te rm in e d th a t F o rd do e s n o t h a v e

a n a d d ic tio n to a lc o h o l. B o th F o rd ’s e x - a n d c u rre n t wiv e s su b m itte d a ffid a v its

2a tte stin g to th e p o sitiv e c h a n g e s th a t F o rd h a s m a d e

. F in a lly

, F o rd n o te s th a t h e

d id no t ta k e th e c a se in q u e stio n o u t o f g re e d o r fro m a fa ilu re to a p p re c ia te th e

se rio u sn e ss o f th e c a se

, b u t in ste a d b e c a use h e b e lie v e d in h is c lie nt’s in n o c e n c e

.

F o rd a rg u e s th a t a Re v ie w P a n e l re p rim a n d is th e a p p ro p ria te p u n ish m e nt in th is

c a se a nd se e k s to h a v e th is Co u rt im p o se su c h a s d isc ip lin e

. In re sp o n se

, th e

S ta te Ba r re c o m m e n d s th a t th is Co u rt a c c e pt F o rd ’s su gg e ste d d isc ip lin e

.

Ha v in g re v ie we d th e p e titio n a n d re sp o n se

, we a gre e th a t im p ositio n o f

a R e v i e w P a ne l re p rim a n d is th e a p p ro p ria te sa n c tio n in th is m a tte r, a n d we

th e re fo re a c c e p t th e p e titio n fo r v o lu nta ry d isc ip lin e

. Ac c o rd in g ly

, th e Co urt

h e re b y ord e rs th a t F o rd re c e iv e a Re v ie w P a n e l re prim a n d in a c c o rd a n c e with

Ba r R u l e s 4 -1 02 (b ) (4 ) a n d 4 -2 2 0 (b ) fo r h is vio la tio n o f Ba r Ru le s 1 .4 a n d

1 .1 6

.

P e titio n fo r v o lu nta ry d isc ip lin e a c c e p te d

. Re v ie w P a ne l re p rim a n d

. All

th e Ju stic e s c o n c u r.

3