Attorney Discipline
| Jurisdiction | Georgia,United States |
| Citation | Vol. 27 No. 6 Pg. 0054 |
| Pages | 0054 |
| Publication year | 2022 |
February 15, 2022, through March 30, 2022
Attorney Discipline Summaries
BY LEIGH BURGESS
Disbarments
Jerry Boykin
2325 Worthington Drive
Powder Springs, GA 30127
Admitted to the Bar 1973
On Feb. 15, 2022, the Supreme Court of Georgia accepted the petition for voluntary surrender of license of Jerry Boykin (State Bar No. 073250) which is tantamount to disbarment.
In his petition, Boykin, a member of the State Bar since 1973, stated that although he had been on disabled status with the Bar and unable to practice since 2018, he filed a petition to probate a will in 2020. Upon learning from the clerk of the probate court that the decedent had executed a subsequent will appointing co-executors, Boykin attempted to convince one of the executors to renounce his appointment in order to expedite the resolution of the estate, but the executor refused. Boykin then forged the executor's signature on an affidavit stating that the executor renounced the appointment, notarized the forged signature and filed the affidavit in the probate court. By this conduct, Boykin acknowledged that he violated Rules 5.5 (a) and 8.4 (a) (4) of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct. The maximum penalty for a violation of Rules 5.5 (a) and 8.4 (a) (4) is disbarment. In its response, the State Bar recommended the Court accept Boykin's petition.
Donald Richard Donovan
Paulding County Courthouse
280 Constitution Blvd.
Dallas, GA 30132
Admitted to the Bar 1979
On March 22, 2022, the Supreme Court of Georgia accepted the petition for voluntary surrender of license of Donald Richard Donovan (State Bar No. 225762) which is tantamount to disbarment.
While serving as District Attorney for Paulding County, Donovan was indicted on five felony counts, including allegations of bribery and false swearing. On Jan. 6, 2022, Donovan pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of one misdemeanor count of unprofessional conduct pursuant to the First Offender Act. In connection with that plea, he admitted that he knowingly made false statements in an affidavit he prepared in response to a sexual harassment...
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