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

Summary

The court affirmed the Committee's findings that Rees violated Rules 1.2(d) and 8.4(c), its six-week suspension and costs award, and its rejection of the alleged Rule 1.5(a) violation. It held that the sanction was within the authorized range, that unruled-on counts were not preserved for appellate review, and that Rees failed to establish prejudice from the delay in filing the formal complaint. Brown, J., concurring, urged adoption of formal time-processing guidelines for professional-discipline complaints because unexplained delay can prejudice an attorney's defense.