Grievance Administrator v. James Sterling Lawrence

Summary

The Court reversed the Attorney Discipline Board and reinstated the hearing panel’s suspension and restitution order. It held that the Board improperly treated disbarment as presumptive and failed to weigh the applicable mitigating and aggravating factors under the sanctioning standards. The Court concluded that suspension was more appropriate given the respondent’s lack of fraudulent or larcenous intent and the mitigating circumstances.