South Carolina Lawyers Weekly

Where respondent signed her client’s name to an affidavit (which, though true, the client knew nothing about), respondent violated Rules of Professional Conduct 3.3(a)(3), 3.4(b), 8.4(d) and 8.4(e). Respondent is suspended from the practice of law in this state for ...

Tagged with: forgery

A written agreement between a corporation and the government preserved the company’s attorney-client privilege and work-product protection for information that the general counsel of a subsidiary entity disclosed to the government. Background Several years ago, federal prosecutors opened a grand ...

Tagged with: Attorney-Client Privilege

  Because plaintiffs established a prima facie case of bad faith failure to insure, and because the defendant-insurer in its answer denied bad faith liability, the district court ruled that the insured waived the attorney-client privilege with respect to the ...

Tagged with: Attorney-Client Privilege Bad Faith

  We do not find that the Securities and Exchange Commission is “another jurisdiction” within the meaning of Rule 29(e), RLDE (“[A] final adjudication in another jurisdiction that a lawyer has been guilty of misconduct . . . shall establish ...

Tagged with: Attorney Suspension SEC Discipline

Where the Administrative Law Court reversed and remanded the Office of Motor Vehicle Hearings’ dismissal of plaintiff’s challenge to the suspension of her driver’s license, the ALC’s decision was not a final order and was not immediately appealable. The court ...

Tagged with: Administrative

In 2015, respondent was suspended for 15 days by the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board because of instances of failing to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing clients, failing to keep clients reasonably informed, and withdrawing from the ...

Tagged with: Suspension

An insurer may maintain a direct malpractice action against counsel hired to represent its insured where the insurance company has a duty to defend. We answer the federal district court’s first question in the affirmative and decline to answer its ...

Tagged with: Auto Insurance

A reading of defendants’ answer and errata answer leaves the court uncertain as to whether or not defendant Spears served as attorney for the Kozel defendants (who caused sexual assault charges to be filed against plaintiff). Because an essential element ...

Tagged with: Immunity

In Tennessee, respondent was censured for failing to communicate with his client and for failing to diligently pursue his client’s interests; hearing no response from respondent, we impose the identical discipline by publicly reprimanding respondent. In re Deslauriers (Lawyers Weekly ...

Tagged with: Discipline

Although the court is sympathetic to the respondent-attorney’s substantial, well-documented mental health issues, we must weigh this sympathy against our duty to protect the public from lawyers who may lack the present ability to adequately represent their clients in the ...

Tagged with: Discipline