Disciplinary Notices
Notice Robert Cooper Wilson, whose whereabouts are unknown, must answer the Alabama State Bar's formal disciplinary charges within 28 days of September 6, 2006, or thereafter, the charges contained therein shall be deemed admitted and appropriate discipline shall be imposed against him in ASB No. 03-333(A) before the Disciplinary Board of the Alabama State Bar.
Transfer to Disability Status • Birmingham attorney Kimberly Jane Dearman-Davidson was transferred to disability inactive status pursuant to Rule 27(c), Alabama Rules of Disciplinary Procedure, effective June 19,2006. [Rule 27(c); Pet. No. 06-45]
Reinstatement • The Supreme Court of Alabama entered an order based upon the decision of Panel V of the Disciplinary Board of the Alabama State Bar reinstating Pell City attorney Tommie Jean Wilson to the practice of law in the State of Alabama, effective June 27, 2006. [Pet. No. 06-03]
Disbarment • Huntsville attorney Reid George Webster was disbarred from the practice of law in the State of Alabama effective February 23, 2006, by order of the Alabama Supreme Court. The supreme court entered its order based upon the decision of the Disciplinary Board of the Alabama State Bar. The Disciplinary Board's order was based on a request for disbarment by consent filed by Webster pursuant to Rule 23, Alabama Rules of Disciplinary Procedure. In lieu of answering the formal charges filed against him in two disciplinary matters and in lieu of filing a response during the investigation of another complaint pending against him, Webster consented to disbarment. [Rule 23; Pet. No. 06-27; ASB nos. 05161 (A), 05-162(A) and 05-316(A)] 376
S E PTE M B E R 2 0 0 6
Suspensions • On July 6, 2006, the Supreme Court of Alabama entered an order accepting the order entered on June 7,2006, of the Disciplinary Board, Panel IV, accepting the conditional guilty plea of former Birmingham attorney John Erland Acres and suspending his law license for a period of 180 days, effective July 6, 2006. This order involved five complaints. In ASB No. 02-102(A), in July 2001, Acres was appointed to represent a client in three criminal cases involving the distribution of narcotics. Although Acres had been court-appointed to represent his client in December 2001, he accepted attorney's fees in the amount of $5,000 from his client's mother. Two of the cases went to trial January 16, 2002 and resulted in guilty verdicts, and the third case was dismissed. Acres told the mother that if her son went to prison, he would refund $4,500 of the attorney's fees. His client was sentenced to serve 20 years, to run concurrently, split to serve four. Acres did not refund the $4,500. Acres claimed that he accepted the fees for the third case which was dismissed and he only submitted fee vouchers for the two cases in which his client was convicted. Acres did not give prior notification to or get approval of the appointing court before accepting the $5,000. Acres thereby violated Rule 1.5(f), Ala. R. Prof C. All other charges were dismissed. The Client Security Fund paid Acres' client's mother $5,000 on October 14,2003. Acres will be required to make restitution to the Client Security Fund, should he seek reinstatement.