Opinion ID: 2502180
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Records/Reconciliation

Text: Respondent's assistant oversaw respondent's accounts. He failed to review her reconciliations or otherwise supervise her activities in violation of Rule 5.3, RPC, and Rule 417, SCACR. As a result of respondent's failure to oversee his assistant's work, the assistant was able to write checks drawn on respondent's trust account by forging his signature. She wrote eight checks to herself between May 2006 and March 2008. These checks totaled $16,704.67. During the period between January 2006 and January 2008, the assistant wrote twenty-nine checks payable to her personal creditors totaling $42,018.36. Respondent was made aware of the shortages in his trust account but not the reasons for them, and made deposits from his personal funds and operating account to make up the shortfalls.