The Georgia Supreme Court issued an opinion Wednesday disbarring a Gainesville attorney following allegations that he allegedly abandoned several of his clients.
Attorney R. Dale Perry had been a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 1981 and was previously suspended for six months in 2003.
The opinion cites three separate claims against Perry, beginning with an instance from the Summer of 2020.
"Perry was hired to represent a client in a divorce in July 2020, but he failed to consult with the client about case strategy and objectives, to keep him informed about the status of the case, or to respond to his inquiries," the opinion reads.
The opinion continues and claims Perry failed to respond to discovery requests and the motion to compel filed by the opposing party in that case. He also allegedly failed to tell his client about the motion to compel.
"When the client terminated the representation, Perry failed properly to withdraw or timely to return the client’s file," the opinion states.
In a second instance, Perry was hired to represent a client in a divorce in September 2020. However, Perry allegedly failed to consult with the client about his objectives, keep him informed about the status of the case, respond to requests for information and withdraw timely after the client terminated the representation.
Finally, Perry was hired to represent a client in a divorce in August 2021. He received a $6,000 retainer as part of this case.
"Perry stopped communicating with the client and did not respond to the client’s numerous attempts to contact him," the opinion said. "In October 2021, the client was able to meet with Perry to execute an affidavit, but he did not hear from Perry after that meeting. The client retained new counsel in November 2021 and learned that a motion to compel had been filed against him for failure to respond to discovery requests."
The Special Master in the case found that Perry violated his duty of diligence to his clients, along with his duty to the legal system to expedite litigation.
Perry reportedly filed a late "response" to the Special Master's report to offer additional information about the alleged incidents, but the Supreme Court did not consider the information as it was not filed within a 30-day deadline.
All Georgia Supreme Court justices agreed with the disbarment, except Justice LaGrua.
