Texas Estate Lawyer Disbarred

A Dallas, Texas attorney was recently disbarred for his conduct with regard to a decedent’s estate.  Here is an excerpt from the report in Disciplinary Actions, 69 Tex. B.J. 1002 (2006):

the complainant employed [attorney] to handle estate matters related to her brother’s death. An insurance carrier tendered a check in the amount of $61,000, dated March 5, 2004, to the complainant as beneficiary of a life insurance policy on her brother’s life.  [Attorney] deposited the check in his trust account, agreeing to turn the funds over to the complainant.  On March 17, 2004, [Attorney] gave the complainant $1,500 in cash and checks for $7,000 and $45,000 as her portion of the insurance proceeds. The check in the amount of $7,000 was not drawn on a trust account. Both checks were returned by [Attorney’s] bank due to insufficient funds. By letter dated Jan. 6, 2005, [Attorney] was directed to provide information to the grievance committee by Jan. 20, 2005. [Attorney] failed to provide the information and did not assert any grounds for such failure.