Jerry M. Blevins v. Alabama State Bar

Summary

The Supreme Court of Alabama affirmed the disciplinary Board’s order imposing a public reprimand without publication and a 180-day suspension. It held that the statutory protection for attorneys who obtain judicial resolution of disputed compensation applies only to wrongful retention of disputed funds and did not bar discipline for communication and excessive-fee violations. The Court also upheld the rejection of Blevins’s unreasonable-delay and equal-protection arguments and concluded that the evidence supported the Rule 1.4(b) and Rule 1.5(a) findings and the resulting sanction.