State Bar v. Genins
State Bar v. Genins
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting.
Standard 64 provides that “A lawyer shall not fail to pay any final judgment... rendered against such lawyer for money collected by him as a lawyer----” An attorney’s fee is money collected by him as a lawyer. I would apply the standard as written rather than rewrite it.
Opinion of the Court
These cross appeals are from the trial court’s denial of summary judgment to both the State Bar of Georgia and to the attorney against whom the State Bar filed a complaint.
1. The first question to be answered is whether Standard 64 of Rule 4-102 of the Georgia Bar Rules
The State Bar contends that Genins’ failure to pay this judgment within ten days constitutes a violation of Standard 64 of Rule 4-102. Genins contends that Standard 64 does not contemplate fees voluntarily paid to an attorney. In urging its position, the State Bar relies primarily upon two cases from other jurisdictions. Those
We do not find that the cases relied upon by the State Bar are on point with the case now before the court. In each of those cases, the attorney had deducted fees from funds held by him in a fiduciary capacity. Such is not the case here. The money paid to Genins was voluntarily paid and was money to which he would have apparently been entitled had he complied with the agreement with his client. We hold that the phrase “collected by him as a lawyer” as it appears in Standard 64 of Rule 4-102 contemplates money collected and held by a lawyer in a fiduciary capacity and not money collected and held as an attorney fee voluntarily paid. The State Bar’s motion for summary judgment was, therefore, properly denied.
2. In his cross appeal, Genins assigns error to the trial court’s denial of his motion for summary judgment. In view of the holding in Division 1, we find that a summary judgment should have been granted to Genins.
Judgment in Case No. 38100 affirmed. Judgment in Case No. 38101 reversed.
Part IV (Discipline), Chapters 1 and 2 of the Rules and Regulations for the Organization and Government of the State Bar of Georgia, 219 Ga. 873, as amended (“Bar Rules”).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE BAR OF GEORGIA v. GENINS and vice versa
- Status
- Published