Mt. Pleasant attorney reinstated

Attorney: Melisa White Gay

Location: Mt. Pleasant

Bar membership: Member since 1991

Disciplinary action: Reinstated to the practice of law on July 15

Background: Gay was suspended from the practice of law for six months on July 3, retroactive to the date of her interim suspension on March 21, 2018 after she pleaded no contest to the charge of unlawful communication in violation of state law. The facts of the plea indicated that, on December 13, 2017, Gay willfully and unlawfully conveyed “an immoral message while in a telephonic communication with an individual.” Specifically, while meeting with one of her criminal law clients who was in custody related to a narcotics trafficking case, Gay instructed the client’s girlfriend to remove U.S. currency and paperwork from the bathroom of the client’s home and take the currency and paperwork to an associate of the client. Gay was sentenced to one day in jail with credit for one day served. Gay requested her reinstatement, and the Supreme Court unanimously granted her request.

Previous discipline: Gay was publicly reprimanded in November 2007.