Former Charleston attorney reinstated

Attorney: Charles E. Houston Jr.

Location: Fayetteville, Georgia

Bar membership: Member since 2000

Disciplinary action: Reinstated to the practice of law, with certain conditions, on Jan. 22

Background: Houston was suspended from the practice of law for nine months on March 30, 2016. Houston, then based in Charleston, had failed to perfect an appeal for a client as a result of missing multiple deadlines to file and, in two separate matters, neglected to pay a videographer and court reporting service. Additionally, he had failed to cooperate with the disciplinary investigations into the ensuing complaints or file timely responses to them. Following a hearing, the Supreme Court agreed to reinstate Houston subject to certain conditions, including that he employ an accountant and work with a mentor.

Previous discipline: Houston was disbarred in March 1994 for a series of violations. Among them, Houston had used funds from a client’s settlement to pay past-due alimony that Houston owed. Houston used money held in trust for a subsequent client to replenish the settlement money, and fees from a subsequent client to replenish those funds. Houston was also publicly reprimanded in April 2009 for noncompliance with rules regarding recordkeeping for a trust account and placed on interim suspension in December 2012 for failing to comply with the court’s order in that reprimand. He was reinstated from that suspension in April 2013.