Opinion ID: 1695349
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the facts surrounding disbarment

Text: In September 1985, while an associate at the firm of Copeland, Cook, Taylor and Bush in Jackson, Mississippi, Tucker agreed to represent two individuals, Tollison and Clinard, in a claim against other individuals and the executors of Tollison's and Clinard's grandfather's estate. Tucker negotiated a settlement, pursuant to which Tollison and Clinard quitclaimed their shares of the estate to the executors in exchange for $68,575.00 for each share. In March 1986, Tollison and Clinard gave Tucker two $24,000.00 personal checks for his attorney fees, payable to Tucker, which he accepted and deposited into his personal checking account without informing his firm of his receipt of the funds. From March 1986 through May 1986, total deposits to Tucker's checking account were $48,000.00  his fees from Tollison and Clinard. During this same quarter, Tucker wrote checks totalling $45,060.29 and was charged a $5.00 service fee. Prior to deposit of the fees from Tollison and Clinard, Tucker's account had a balance of $32.97. The checks written by Tucker and paid from his deposit of attorney fees were for personal expenses, primarily to credit card companies and student loan servicers. In May 1986 the attorney for a timber company, which planned to purchase timber from the land quitclaimed from Tollison and Clinard to the estate, discovered a mistake in the quitclaim deeds' legal descriptions. The executors requested correction deeds from Tollison and Clinard, which Tucker attempted to obtain in June 1986. Tollison, however, was not cooperative, as she had reservations about Tucker's handling of the case and the amount of the fee charged. Tollison engaged another lawyer, Timothy Gowan, who approached the firm of Copeland, Cook, Taylor and Bush about Tucker's handling of this matter. The firm was unaware of the case and of Tucker's receipt of the fee until informed by Gowan. In October 1986 Tucker tendered to the firm two certified checks, each in the amount of $24,000.00. Shortly thereafter, Tucker left Copeland, Cook, Taylor and Bush. Tollison and Clinard filed suit against Tucker and his former firm; the case was settled out of court and dismissed with prejudice. In late 1986 Tucker moved to Texas and began to practice law there in January 1987 with the firm of Goins, Underkofler, Crawford & Langdon. The grievance was initially filed against Tucker in Mississippi in October 1987. In June 1988, Tucker voluntarily left the Goins firm and joined the firm of Vetter, Bates, Tibbals, Lee & DeBusk in Dallas, Texas. In 1989 the Goins firm merged with Godwin & Carlton, P.C.. In 1992, Tucker voluntarily left this firm to begin his own practice.