Court Opinion

ID: 9589471
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:44:55.335288+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:22:20.083877
License: Public Domain

MELTON, Justice,
dissenting.
Because I believe that a six-month suspension is insufficient discipline for Lester Christopher Solomon based on the facts of this case, I must respectfully dissent.
The record shows that, while Solomon was a minister at a church and before he was admitted to the bar, he agreed to help manage the financial affairs of a disabled person by receiving title to the person’s home, securing a loan on the property, paying himself a commission, paying the loan payments and himself a monthly *857stipend with the person’s annuity income, and allowing the person to continue living in the home. After Solomon was admitted to the bar, he continued to handle the person’s financial matters, but did not separate his funds from the person’s or deposit the person’s funds into an attorney trust account. Solomon represented the person in a civil matter, thereby forming an attorney-client relationship. Solomon nevertheless continued to commingle the person’s funds with his own rather than placing them in an attorney trust account. A dispute arose between Solomon and the person over Solomon’s handling of the person’s assets. Solomon then filed a writ of possession against the person and attempted to evict him from his home. Eventually, this dispute was settled by Solomon’s transfer of the home back to the person. The person later filed a grievance against Solomon, but ultimately withdrew it.
Decided January 26, 2009.
William P. Smith III, General Counsel State Bar, Jonathan W. Hewett, Assistant General Counsel State Bar, for State Bar of Georgia.
Goodman, McGuffey, Lindsey & Johnson, Frederick R. Green, for Solomon.
Given Solomon’s commingling of funds, coupled with behavior consistent with neither his agreement to manage the person’s funds and property nor his attorney-client relationship with the person, I do not believe that a six-month suspension is an adequate punishment for Solomon’s actions.
I am authorized to state that Presiding Justice Hunstein and Justice Thompson join in this dissent.