Opinion ID: 2392723
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Various Trust Account Matters

Text: In addition to the failure to pay settlement sums to certain clients and medical providers, Respondent failed to properly maintain trust account records, reconcile her trust account, or maintain client ledgers pursuant to the requirements of Rule 1.15 of Rule 407, SCACR, and Rule 417, SCACR. Respondent carried a negative balance of $96.11 in her trust account from July 19, 2007 to August 14, 2007. Additionally, Respondent paid several bills from her trust account that were unrelated to client matters. Respondent maintained her office, trust, and personal accounts at the same bank and mistakenly authorized a payment from her trust account of $595.79 to pay her husband's BellSouth phone bill, never reimbursing the trust account. Respondent mistakenly caused drafts payable to Bank of America to be drawn from her trust account in the amounts of $500 and $160 that were negotiated to a credit card company for expenses unrelated to client matters, then failed to reimburse the trust fund for these mistaken drafts. On several occasions, Respondent wrote checks on her trust account made payable to herself with the memo field reflecting Law Office Costs without any accounting as to which client's case these costs were charged. Generally, Respondent's trust account was so poorly maintained that an accurate accounting was not possible with the records provided and, therefore, it is unknown which clients are owed funds and what funds are missing from the trust account. Ultimately, the Panel found that Respondent violated the following Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 407, SCACR:  Rule 1.1 (Competence)  Rule 1.3 (Diligence)  Rule 1.15 (Safekeeping Property)  Rule 8.4(a) (Misconduct)  Rule 8.4(d) (Conduct involving dishonesty)  Rule 8.4(e) (Conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice) Additionally, the Panel found that Respondent violated Rules 7(a)(1) & 7(a)(6), RLDE, Rule 413, SCACR. The Panel determined that Respondent should be indefinitely suspended from the practice of law. Additionally, the Panel recommended that Respondent undergo a full forensic accounting of her trust account, reimburse the Lawyers' Fund for all payments made on her behalf, and receive continuing legal education in trust accounting prior to petitioning this Court for reinstatement into the practice of law. Finally, the Panel recommended that Respondent immediately pay restitution to the parties who were unable to collect from the Lawyers' Fund, and pay for the cost of the proceedings. Respondent testified that she would agree to all of these recommendations.