Attorney Discipline
| Jurisdiction | United States,Federal,Georgia,Virginia |
| Citation | Vol. 26 No. 6 Pg. 0047 |
| Pages | 0047 |
| Publication year | 2021 |
March 1, 2021 - April 20, 2021
Attorney Discipline Summaries
BY JESSICA OGLESBY
Disbarments
Evelyn A. Miller12112 Vale Road
Oakton, VA 22124
Admitted to the Bar 2002
On March 1, 2021, the Supreme Court of Georgia accepted the petition for voluntary surrender of license for attorney Evelyn A. Miller (State Bar No. 506579). On Oct. 2, 2020, the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board entered an order accepting Miller's consent to the revocation of her license to practice law in Virginia. Miller notified the State Bar of Georgia of the action taken against her license in Virginia as required by the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct 9.4 (b) and acknowledged that she was subject to the imposition of substantially similar discipline in Georgia per Rule 9.4 (b) (3).
With regard to the wrongdoing that resulted in the discipline imposed in Virginia, Miller explained that from 2015 to September 2018, she was employed by Monarch Title Agency and that her primary role there was conducting or managing live settlements. Also, during the same time frame, Miller had her own law firm, for which she maintained two checking accounts. She admitted that in 2017, she was the settlement agent and/ or supervisor of junior settlement agents for six settlements in which funds were required to be held in escrow for an extended period post-settlement. The total amount of escrowed funds across the six transactions was more than $250,000. In each such settlement, the affected customer directed Monarch to forward the funds for long-term escrowing. Instead of holding these funds in a designated escrow account, these funds were wired directly from Monarch to the checking account associated with Miller's law firm. Miller stated that for four of the six transactions, some or all of the funds that were supposed to be held in an escrow account were spent. She asserted, however, that all the funds identified by the Virginia State Bar that should have been held in escrow, but were instead transferred to her law firm checking account, have now been repaid. She further stated that she terminated her signature authority of the co-signer on her law firm's bank accounts.
The Bar asserted that her admitted conduct would violate Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct 1.15 (I) (a) and 1.15 (I) (b) and that it would be in the best interest of the public and profession for the Court to accept Miller's petition for voluntary discipline and allow her to surrender her license.
George Michael Plumides5639 Western Hills Drive
Norcross, GA 30071
Admitted to the Bar 1990
On March 1, 2021, the Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred attorney George Michael Plumides (State Bar No. 582274) from the practice of law in Georgia. A Notice of Discipline was filed that alleged serious misconduct related to five different disciplinary matters. Plumides was personally served but failed to timely file a Notice of Rejection, therefore, was in default and waived his right to an evidentiary hearing. Plumides has twice received confidential disciplinary sanctions—a Formal Letter of Admonition in 2002 and a Confidential Reprimand in August 2019.
The facts, as deemed admitted by Plumides' default, show that he exhibited a pattern of misconduct for several years. He settled personal injury suits for two clients but failed to appropriately account for the settlement proceeds; failed to disburse the proceeds to one client; failed to maintain client funds in an IOLTA bank account; failed to appear at calendar calls for two clients in criminal matters, and then failed to appear on a contempt notice in one of those matters, resulting in his arrest and jailing for five weeks; failed to appear at a calendar...
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