Stark Ligon, Executive Director of the Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct, Appellant v. Frank David…

Summary

The court affirmed the Committee's findings that Rees committed twelve violations involving client communication, conflicts of interest, prohibited financial assistance, an improper release, and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. It held that the Committee did not clearly err in rejecting additional violations under Rules 8.4(c) and 1.2(a), and that appellate review of Count H.2 was precluded because Ligon had not obtained a ruling from the Committee. The court modified the sanction from a thirty-day suspension to a one-year suspension, crediting Rees for thirty days already served. Brown, J., concurring, agreed with the heightened sanction because Rees's disciplinary record across related matters demonstrated a pattern of serious conflict-of-interest misconduct.